A Different Journey of Ash Ketchum (REWRITE)
by N. Aepic Fael
Summary: Ash leaves like usual, but what happens if he got an unusually rare pokemon normally found in the Hoenn region? This is partly based off from the anime. To all my loyal readers, this is the rewrite you have been waiting for. T because of what will happen later on (if you read some of the original chapters).
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, thanks for being patient, as here is the revised edition of A Different Journey of Ash Ketchum!**

**Note: Because my original story was my first, there will be some HEAVY changes to the storyline:**

**Ash will have three eggs before starting his journey.**

**Garde's appearance will change slightly.**

**Ash will rescue the girls from the grunts, but only Sabrina and Garde will join him in his Kanto arc.**

**The chapters will become slightly longer, and I will have one or two "important events" (check bulbapedia) per chapter. Everything else will be the filler episodes in between.**

**Ash will give some of his pokemon nicknames. If you get confused, just check back into older chapters (assuming I can even advance this story to that point).**

**This new version will be a lot more similar to canon. Rest assured, I will not make Ash lose all his skills at the turn of each region.**

**Ash will not get so much legendaries so early. Maybe 1 or two of each region at the start but that's about it. I need to make sure that Ash can build a connection to his legendaries.**

**Oh and before I forget, I'm changing Garde's name. It just doesn't feel right for some reason. I'm thinking of Lasciel, the Denarian from the Dresden Files. Read the damn series!**

**Finally, his challenges will be a lot harder than the ****original version. Just saying.**

**Okay, all boring stuff aside, let's get this on!**

It was a peaceful day in Pallet Town. The Pidgeys were chirping while in the forest Rattata scurried about. At least, until around 11:50 AM...

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! I'm going to be late!"

13 year old Ash Ketchum had slept in on one of the most important days of his life. Today he would be receiving his first pokemon.

At least, his first BIRTHED pokemon. He had recently gotten 3 eggs by his mom as an early birthday gift to train Ash on how to handle children in the future (much to his embarrassment) as well as handling eggs in the future.

Ash rushed to Professor Oak's laboratory. Miraculously, he had made it in time, just 12 seconds before the 12:00.

Gary, who was also waiting for his pokemon, smirked. "Well, well, look who finally made it, Ashy-boy."

Ash didn't reply to Gary, annoying the grandson of Professor Oak. "Hey Professor," asked Ash. "since we're all here, shall we get our pokemon?"

Professor Oak nodded. "Let's go," he said as he rounded up Ash, Gary and the other two trainers: who were none other than Richie and Leaf.

"Alright, ladies first, so Leaf, your pick."

Leaf didn't hesitate as she instantly said, "I'll take Bulbasaur." Professor Oak nodded and handed her the poke ball as well as a pokedex (**most the pokedexes will be Kanto, but Ash will have the Kalos upgrade**)

Leaf brought out Bulbasaur and scanned it with her pokedex. "**Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokemon. This Bulbasaur is a female, has the Overgrow ability and knows Tackle, Growl, Leech Seed, Vine Whip and the egg move Grassy Terrain. However, the egg move has not been unlocked yet.**"

Gary rolled his eyes. "Whatever, my turn! I choose Squirtle." Professor Oak silently handed Gary his pokemon as well the poked, annoyed at Gary's rudeness.

Gary opened up his poked and scanned Squirtle. "**Squirtle, ****the Tiny Turtle Pokemon. This Suirtle is a male, has the ability Torrent and knows Tackle, Tail Whip, Water Gun, and Withdraw as well as the egg move Muddy Water. However, the egg move has not been unlocked.**"

Richie then looked at Ash. Ash gestured for Richie to go on. Noticing this, Professor oak knew that his fourth pokemon would be perfect for Ash.

"Professor Oak, I will take Charmander." Professor Oak nodded and gave Richie the essentials.

Like the two before, Richie scanned his Charmander. "**Charmander, the Lizard Pokemon. This Charmander is a male, has the ability Blaze and knows Scratch, Growl, Ember, and Smoke Screen as well as the egg move Metal Claw, which has been unlocked.**"

Gary looked annoyed that Richie had an advantage with his unlocked egg move before noting with glee that Ash had no pokemon left. "Sorry, Ashy-boy, looks like there's nothing for you."

Professor Oak cleared his throat. "Actually, Ash, I have a pokemon for you. I believe that it would be perfect for you, seeing how you treat everyone with kindness. Ralts, let's go."

A shiny Ralts with white horns, black hair, and a soft white skin appeared. It hid behind the professor until Ash walked up.

Ash smiled and spoke in a soft voice, "Hey Ralts. I'm starting my pokemon journey today, and I have three other pokemon friends that would love to be with you. Would you like to come with me?"

The Ralts looked hesitant for a second before nodding her head.

Professor Oak then gave Ash a special pokedex, which Gary immediately noticed. "Hey, why does he get a cool looking pokedex?"

The professor pinched his nose. "This pokemon is not from this region, therefore Ash needs an updated pokedex that can scan it."

Ash nodded and scanned Ralts. "**Ralts, the Feeling Pokemon. This Ralts is a female, limiting its evolutionary line to a Gardevoir. This Ralts has the ability Trace. It knows Confusion, Double Team, Growl, Teleport, Disarming Voice, Lucky Chant, Magical Leaf and Heal Pulse. This Ralts also has the egg move Misty Terrain, which has not been unlocked yet. Note, the unusual coloration of this Ralts suggests that this pokemon is a shiny.**"

Gary's mouth dropped as he heard what the pokedex said about Ralts. "Tha's not fair, is pokemon is so powerful! Why does he get it and not me?"

The professor shook his head. "True, but this pokemon's species is extremely hard to train unless you have Ash's compassion and patience. They do not listen to anyone who does not sympathize with them, as they can sense emotions. Besides, Ash already has 3 eggs that will hatch soon, so this will be good practice for stubborn pokemon."

Gary huffed before looking at Ash. "Whatever, you're still going down! I challenge you to a battle!"

Ash didn't reply. Instead, he looked at Ralts. "Ralts, do you want to battle? I don't want to put you into situations that you wouldn't like."

Ralts looked nervously at her trainer before nodding her head.

Ash grinned. 'Let's go, Gary."

Gary rolled his eyes before ordering the first attack. "Squirtle, use Tackle!"

Ash looked bored at the situation. "Use Teleport to dodge and tun use Lucky Chant."

Ralts easily dodged the incoming attacks before chanting her name a few times and feeling as though nothing could hurt her.

Gary gritted his teeth. "Squirtle, disorient it with Tail Whip and then rush in with Tackle!"

Ash glanced at Ralts with a warm face, giving her morale. "While he tries to lower your defense, use Growl and then intercept his Tackle with Disarming Voice."

Ralts growled softly as she saw Squirtle taunting her, nullifying the effects. Squirtle then attempted to Tackle her, but fell to the ground screaming in pain as the Disarming Voice stopped the attack.

"End it with Magical Leaf."

As Squirtle struggled to get up, its eyes went wide as it saw a large array of leaves heeding towards it. He attempted to brace through, but there were too much leaves and it collapsed in exhaustion.

"Squirtle is unable to battle, Ralts is the winner!" said Professor Oak.

Ash congratulated Ralts. "Good job, Ralts. You were really good out there. He didn't stand a chance." Ralts blushed under the praise and tried to hide her face in his pants leg.

Gary looked angrily as he recalled his fallen pokemon. "Whatever, Ashy-boy, that was just beginner's luck. You won't be so lucky next time."

Professor Oak rolled his eyes and gave each trainer 5 pokeballs. "Remember, if you have 6 pokemon on you and you catch another one, it will be transferred to the corral. Ash, go and get your eggs, they should be ready to hatch in a while."

Ash nodded and tried to return Ralts. However, it Teleported onto his head, making him miss. "Hey, what gives?"

The professor chuckled. "Not every pokemon likes being in their pokeballs, Ash. Your Ralts is no exception." Ash nodded and let the Ralts hang around on his shoulders as he raced home.

The Ralts was surprised yet please at Ash's friendly disposition towards her. Hopefully, he wouldn't turn into her previous trainer...

-flashback-

_Ralts was crumpled on the floor struggling to get up while her opponent, a Faxure was standing over it. Her trainer screamed at her. "You're supposed to be invincible towards Dragon types! You're useless! He then snapped the pokeball containing her in half and had his Throh, who was on the sidelines the whole time, use Circle Throw at her with Superpower, making her fly away._

_As she was held down by the Throh, the other pokmon whispered in her ear, "I'm not doing this for him. I'm doing this so that you can escape his cruelty. There is already a Swablu in the area where i'm about to throw you, making sure that you get a soft landing. Understand?"_

_The Ralts nodded fearfully. The Throh gave his first smile in months before tossing the Ralts as gently as he could into the sky, attempting to ignore the anger in his head as his trainer jeered at the pokemon that was going through the skies._

_As the Rals covered her eyes, she felt that she was in a soft area. She opened her eyes and was greeted by a friendly Swablu._

_"Hello little one," said the Swablu. "The Throh used to be my old friend before he was captured. He communicated to me with a third member of our little group, a Riolu. This Riolu will lead you to a friendly pokemon professor, who will take care of you, understand?"_

_Ralts was nervous as she heard the mention of another human but gathered her courage and nodded. The Sawblu set her in a small forest clearing a few hours later and a Riolu greeted them. The Ralts was confused as to how the Riolu could move so fast, but was eased by Riolu telling her not to worry about it._

_The Riolu then led the Ralts to Professor Oak, who was explained everything by the Riolu. Professor Oak agreed and made sure to hide the Ralts from other peoples' eyes, as they could want to go after a rare shiny._

_The next day, Ash came. And this changed her life forever._

_-_flashback end-

Ralts shook her head out of her confusion as she took in the sight in front of her. It was a modest house and was fairly nice. Suddenly, she was hugged by a joyous woman.

"Oh my Arceus, she is so cute!"

Ralts was panicked as she was grabbed, but she relaxed once she took in the massive positive energy emanating from the woman. "Ash, she is so cute! How did you get her?"

Ash scratched his head. "Well, the other three were taken already so I decided to take the one that was not claimed yet. Professor Oak deemed me fit to raise this Ralts." He then gave the Ralts a large smile, making her smile as well.

"Oh, it is just so great that my baby boy is finally going on his journey. Don't forget to bring the eggs with you!"

Ash chuckled. "I won't mom." Ash then rushed into his room, put the three eggs in his bag (**using infinite item rules from Gen 4**) with as much soft padding as he could find, and grabbed Ralts before leaving. "Bye, mom! Love you!"

Delia smiled as she saw her future Pokemon Master leave. 'Bye Ash! Don't forget to change your underwear!"

Ralts giggled as she took in the sight of Ash face-faulting at Delia's words. _This will be a very interesting journey._ she thought in her head.

-line break-

Ash and Ralts were exhausted. They had been wandering in the area for some time and nothing had happened. or at least, until he heard that voice.

"Hey, Ashy-boy!" Ash turned around and saw Gary in his car.

"What do you want, Gary?"

"Oh nothing, it's just that you won't be able to catch any pokemon since I captured them all!"

"Whatever, you're probably compensating for lack of experience."

Gary's face grew red as he took in that statement. "That's it! I challenge you to a battle!"

Ash shrugged. "Ralts, you up for this?"

Ralts looked at her trainer before nodding her head vigorously. Anything was better than the boredom it was feeling right now.

"Hah, you're going to lose! I already have a full team! Go Squirtle!"

"Ralts, use Magical Leaf."

Squirtle began posing before suddenly having to dodge numerous Magical Leaves while getting hit by others."

"Hey! That wasn't fair! We didn't finish posing!"

"Can you pose after the battle?"

"NO! Squirtle, get up and use our new move, Skull Bash!"

Squirtle grinned before his head started shining as he charged at Ralts.

"Use Disarming Voice and then Confusion. If he continues charging, just teleport away and use Magical Leaf."

As Squirtle charged, it fought against the effects of Disarming Voice and Confusion, only to be taken down by Magical Leaf. Gary gritted his teeth. Why did Ash, out of all people, get so lucky with this pokemon?

-line break-

Ash was bored. So far, Gary's Pidgey, Caterpie, Rattata, and Metapod had lost. Only one pokemon left.

"Go Spearow!"

The bird came out with a loud squack. However, instead of battling, it let out a tremendous squack that alerted all the Spearows in the area, as well as a Fearow.

Gulping, Gary returned Spearow before running to his car and hightailing out of there.

Ash put Ralts in his hands and ran like heck out of the forest. He got Pecks all over, while nearly falling by the occasional Wing Attack, but he managed to get his Ralts to safety.

Unfortunately, they reached a cliff. Seeing that there was nowhere else, Ash jumped into a pond.

Meanwhile, Misty was casually fishing for pokemon when she heard a splash and a tug on her line. She reeled it in and found a bleeding Ash and a shivering ralts.

"Oh my Arceus, are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Not you, idiot, the poor pokemon!" Misty tried to touch the Ralts, but the Ralts looked at Misty angrily and used Teleport to get Ash and her onto the land.

"Please, I need to use your bike to get to a Pokemon Center and to keep my Ralts safe!"

"Wait, what? Fine, but you either owe me a bike or you owe me the money!"

Ash weakly nodded and rushed on the bike. Misty turned around and saw the massive flock of Spearows heading towards him. "Stupid kid, you are giving me back a bike, dead or alive."

-line break-

Ash was pedaling furiously when he hit a rock and fell over, taking the brunt of the hit so that Ralts would be safe.

The Feeling Pokemon was horrified as she saw the state that Ash was in. "Don't worry, Ralts. I'll protect you, just get back into your pokeball."

Ralts shook her head vigorously as she made sure that she would stay by Ash's side no matter what.

Ash rose up, not noticing Kirlia's adamancy. "Spearow, do you know who I am? I am Ash Ketchum, future Pokemon Master! I will not have you harm my pokemon! Come at me!"

The Spearows began to dive onto Ash, who kepyt his eyes open in a final act of defiance. Ralts could not bear to see the sight as she was cloaked in a harsh white light. What emerged was not a Ralts, but a Kirlia.

_Leave my trainer alone!_ she cried out as she released a massive Confusion/Psychic combo that knocked away all the Spearow. Unfortunately, it also destroyed the bike.

Ash could only gaze in amazement as he took in the sight of his pokemon going as far as to risk her own life for her trainer.

Ash took out his pokedex and scanned his Kirlia. "**Kirlia, the Emotion Pokemon and the evolved form of Ralts. Upon evolution, Kirlia has learned Draining Kiss, Calm Mind, Psychic, and unlocked the egg move Misty Terrain.**"

Ash watched as his pokemon fell, exhausted. "We did it, Kirlia. We beat them all."

Kirlia gave a weak smile before gasping and pointing at a sight behind her. Ash turned around and saw a pokemon that was flying over a rainbow. He set his pokedex at the pokemon. "**Ho-oh, the Rainbow Pokemon. Note, this is a legendary pokemon.**"

Ash watched in amazement as Ho-oh flew by. "Wow, a legendary pokemon on our first day. Come on, kirlia, let's get you back to a Pokemon Center.

Ash then turned to look at the bike. "Oh, crap..."

-at the Hall of Legends-

Arceus was waiting patiently for Ho-oh to come back. Several of the legends were grumbling about how Ho-oh would not return just to spite them. Just then, Ho-oh arrived.

Lugia muttered, "Speak of the devil." He then said out loud. "What's the news on out 'Chosen One?'"

Ho-oh frowned. "Heis kind and benevolent, and he nearly gave up his life to protect the life of his pokemon."

Arceus nodded. "Celebi, go to the flock and tell them that they are forgiven for their sins, provided that they not attack anyone else. They have kept to their purpose and attempted to strike the pokeon only, but out Chosen One has shown his virtue to protect his pokemon."

Arceus then looked at a scrying orb at Ash. "Soon, my Chosen One, we will join you for whatever you need. Your selfless act was priceless and we cannot ever thank you enough."

**Alright, FINALLY done with this chapter. Sorry for such a long wait for this rewrite, but I promised you a longer chapter, didn't I? DOn't worry, it will be longer than the original. Thank you all for your support. As always, R&amp;R and I will see you next time.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, guys. Before you rant at me for the delayed update, I jus want to say that I am SO sorry. It's just that I have been doing a lot for the past few weeks:**

**Homework. I'm not saying any more than that.**

**Vacation work (I don't get the point of a vacation if you have to do work).**

**Visiting cousins in Canada, then griping about a lost opportunity to stay with them for a week.**

**Reading Nisekoi. I am around chapter 165. In fact, as I'm typing this I am reading it as well. It is so damn good and funny! I mean, wtf how the hell does a fried egg become a cube? Not to mention the unofficial harem as well as Raku's incredible denseness.**

**Reading Nanatsu no Taikei. A friend of mine introduced me to it and I have been hooked to it ever since but you probably know him as thegodofbacon.**

**Reading Shokugeki no Sama. I...I'm not going to even bother.**

**Updating my other stories. Not to mention my computer occasionally returning to the previous screen before I can save about 900 words worth of work.**

**Oh, and I guess I should explain a couple of things. Ash didn't show any reaction to Ralts's coloring due to the fact that he isn't at the point in his trainer career that he realizes how rare and valuable different colored pokemon are.**

**As for the backstory, I have no comment. Ignore it if you wish.**

**About Gary catching all the pokemon in the forest, I'm surprised that you haven't figured this out yourself. Professor Oak only gave each trainer 5 additional pokeballs. Plus with Gary's inflated ego, he is bound to brag about the amount of pokemon he has caught.**

**As for the reasons for the legendaries joining Ash, I will explain as soon as you finish reading this extended AN. Besides, only a few will be with him permanently. Most will only be called upon with some kind of special pokeball, but they won't reside with him completely.**

**As for the unusual coloring of Kirlia, remember that in the anime their are unofficial shiny pokemon featured, or at least pokemon with different color schemes.**

**Finally, I will keep the idea of Ash having a Gardevoir, considering the fact that his Kirlia is a girl and only males can become Gallades.**

**Enough stalling, begin!**

Not all legends were pleased with the idea of joining a human.

Rayquaza was the first to voice his complaints. "Lady Arceus, do you really expect us to join a human? What makes him different to the rest of those scum?"

Mew then interjected. "Hey, don't trash Sir Aaron. He willingly gave up his life to stop a world war. You call that person a scum?" A few legends muttered their agreements.

Arceus ignored this and frowned at Rayquaza. "Are you questioning me?"

Rayquaza flinched, but then Giratina stepped in. "Yes, we are. Here, out of the blue, you tell us that we will be joining some unknown human you claim is the 'Chosen One' without explaining your reasons first. How do you know that he will not turn into Damos, or abuse our power like several others?"

Arceus looked at Giratina for a moment before sighing. "Very well. Dialga, if you may?"

Dialga nodded before talking. "The Chosen One is highly unusual approach to us compared to other humans. he does not consolidate pokemon, but rather treat them as if they are equals. He nearly got killed to save a pokemon he only met a few hours ago, and yet you call him a scum. I have seen the future, and he will save many of us, as well as the world several times."

A few legends were shocked at this revelation but Giratina did not budge.

Celebi then spoke up. "Actually, while you all were arguing, I was going through several futures, avoiding Kodai of course. We will be in grave peril. In fact, an apocalyptic event is almost upon us, especially because that woman Miyamoto somehow managed to get Mew's eyelash. But that is beside the point. I am sure that you are all aware of the fact that several evil teams are emerging. Some of these teams will capture a few of us, yet the Chosen One will take each and everyone one of us down. All he requires is our assistance."

A few legends were glaring at a sheepish Mew for being so careless as to leave behind her DNA like that, but Miyamoto was no more. Not after what she had attempted to do to Giovanni with that priceless material...

Other legends were shocked that they would be so careless as to be captured by several villainous teams like that but before they could say anything, Arceus spoke up.

"A few of you will be required to join him in an effort to stop these teams. We have looked into the future and he has no intention of keeping you in his team unless you wish for him to do so. In fact, a few of you may even want to join him after he saves you."

The legends were shocked but then Arceus laid the bomb on them.

"One of us will be joining him today. Decide amongst yourselves who it will be."

That was the final straw. Many of the council went insane at the thought of being at the mercy of a human. However, one legend was not arguing as expected but rather brooding. It was Rayquaza.

Rayquaza pondered his thoughts. Sure it was disgraceful to be controlled by a human like that, but if this was the case then he would make sure that the human would at least live a pure life. Besides, he had always wanted to travel and face extremely tough opponents.

"I'll go." All the legends looked at him with wide eyes, but Arceus's were filled with pride.

"Very well, Rayquaza. Make haste."

-with Ash-

Ash was running while cradling Kirlia to his chest. Blood was still dripping from his wounds but he knew that he must get Kirlia some medical treatment. He then saw the nearest town.

"Hold on, Kirlia, we're almost at a pokemon center."

Suddenly, they were stopped at the border by an Officer Jenny. "Halt! Who are y - Arceus, what happened to you and that pokemon, kid?"

"We were attacked by a Spearow flock. I fought this idiot who sent out a disobedient Spearow. He drove away, leaving me behind."

"I know this makes me sound like a jerk, but I need some type of identification. There are reports of pokemon thieves around here and I need to verify that you are what you say."

Ash grimaced and fought through the pain as he showed Officer Jenny his pokedex.

Officer Jenny's eyes widened. "Get in, kid. You're not going to make it on foot."

Ash collapsed into the side car. He placed Kirlia's head on his lap and absentmindedly stroke her hair. He then started losing consciousness, making Officer Jenny's eyes widen in horror.

_Soon, Kirlia, we'll get you medical attention._

* * *

Officer Jenny had roared into the Pokemon Center. She cursed herself for not getting there sooner, as Ash was continuously losing blood.

Nurse Joy looked irritated at her, evidently not seeing Ash and Kirlia. "You know that you don't have to go INSIDE the Center, right?"

Officer Jenny ignored the rebuke. "Quickly, I have two patients that are in dire need of medical treatment!"

Nurse Joy rushed over and covered her mouth in horror. She immediately had the two into the Emergency Room.

"How did this happen?"

"The kid says that some idiot trainer brought out a disobedient Spearow in a battle they had and attracted a flock. Apparently, the kid ran away and the flock viciously attacked the poor kid, who evidently tried to save his pokemon."

"Hmpth! I'll report this to Professor Oak and see if he can do anything about this!"

-line break-

Ash woke up to see bright lights glaring down at him. He then immediately rushed over to Nurse Joy, ignoring the pain in his body.

"Nurse Joy, is my Kirlia going to be okay?"

"She will be fine, but if Officer Jenny hadn't found you both, you two may not have made it. I want the name of the trainer who you fought."

"His name was Gary Oak, and mine is Ash Ketchum."

"Very well, Ash. Normally, his actions in leaving you behind to fend for yourself would result in having his trainer's license revoked, but I'm afraid that his connection to his grandfather prevents this."

"It's alright, he is known for his arrogance."

"Very well, I believe that you would want to see your pokemon?"

"Yes, please!"

Ash rushed over to Kirlia, who was still hooked up to several machines. Seeing Kirlia in such a vulnerable state brought tears to his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Kirlia! It's my fault that I didn't get you here sooner."

Unknown to Ash, Kirlia had heard Ash's concern and felt touched that Ash was so compassionate to her. She slowly opened her eyes.

_Ash?_

Ash jerked up, knowing that it must have been Kirlia, due to her being the only Psychic pokemon in the area. "Kirlia?"

Kirlia nodded weakly. _Yes, Ash, it was me. Thank you for getting me to the Pokemon Center. Even if it was not fast enough for your liking, I am alive and ta is all that matters._

Ash smiled down at her. She was always so careful as to make her trainer happy.

* * *

Suddenly, Misty barged in with a furious look on her face. "WHERE ARE YOU?!" she screamed.

Nurse Joy was not amused. "Please stop screaming, miss."

Misty calmed down. "Sorry, Nurse Joy. Did a trainer with a Ralts come here earlier?"

Nurse Joy shook her head. "No, but one with a Kirlia came though. They were in serious need of medical attention and needed to be put in the ER. They are now conscious."

Misty rushed in and saw Ash. "Hey! You owe me a bike! I saw a pile of rubble back there! What were you thinking?!"

Ash winced. "Sorry, but the bike was destroyed when we were attempting to get away from the Spearows."

Misty crossed her arms. "Oh? And how is that? Because from what I see you have a cute but probably weak pokemon right there."

Ash's face grew dark. "What...did...you...say?"

"Weren't you listening? I said your pokemon is weak, if it can't handle even a Spearow-!" Misty was suddenly pinned to a wall by Ash's hands on her neck. 'hey, let go of me!"

Ash growled. "Don't you EVER say that again! How would you feel if you were abandoned in a forest with an exhausted pokemon and being chased through a forest with critical injuries?!"

The the oddness occurred. His eyes glowed blue, making Misty's eyes widen. She was then forced into a memory, but it was not hers. She was basically reenacting all that had happened as Ash, until when her ?-self came barging in demanding compensation for her bike.

Misty collapsed on the floor as soon as the memory was finished. Sh looked at Ash with pleading eyes. "I-I'm sorry..."

Ash looked down coldly at her before Kirlia walked up and held onto his arm, sending soothing emotions through him. Eventually, he finally calmed down.

"Sorry, I lost control over there for a second. My name's Ash Ketchum, and this is Kirlia. What's your name?"

"M-Misty."

"How much did your bike cost?"

"Um...about 5000 pokedollars."

"Hmph, I'll give it to you when we reach Pewter City."

Then, suddenly an explosion occurred. The trio ran to a Nurse Joy that was rising from the floor.

"Nurse Joy!" cried out Ash. "What happened?"

"P-Pokemon thieves..."

Suddenly three figures came out: a woman, a man, and a Meowth.

"Hahahahahaha, how kind of you to acknowledge us! But we're not just ANY pokemon thief, we're Team Rocket!" said the male.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"Make it double!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within the nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth! That's right!"

Ash sweatdropped as he heard the motto. "No offense, but your motto doesn't really make any sense at all."

The woman looked annoyed at him. "What do you want, twerp?"

"You sound as if you are trying to HELP people."

The two crooks looked at eachother before shrugging. "Too much trouble trying to revise it."

Misty was bored. "Hey, idiots! Whatever you are, just get out of here! That motto was stupid and was dumb as fuck!"

The trio stared angrily at her, making her back away slightly. "How dare you disrespect our motto. At least the other one has the manners to apologize as well as point out our flaws, unlike you! Ekans, go!"

"Koffing, start coughing!"

An Ekans came out glaring at all the injured pokemon in the Pokemon Center while a Koffing appeared and started releasing its gas (**ugh, sounds disgusting as I'm reading this**).

Ash was not amused. "Kirlia, use Magical leaf and Confusion to create a vortex and launch the combo at the crooks!"

Kirlia used the spinning leaves as a vacuum that sucked in the gas as well as the two pokemon, and launched them at the crooks. This action caused Koffing to release all of its gas, however, and as luck would have it Ekans's fangs had scratched a wall, causing a spark. The spark ignited the gas and sent s massive explosion that sent the crooks flying.

"TEAM ROCKET IS BLASTING OF AGAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIN!"

Ash rolled his eyes then looked at Kirlia. "Good job, Kirlia!" Kirlia blushed and hid her face in his shirt.

Misty was watching this with an amused look on her face. It seemed that she had to reevaluate her opinion that this pokemon was weak.

* * *

Ash and Misty were walking along a path when they suddenly encountered a injured Riolu and Zoroark.

Ash was shocked. "How are they here?!"

Misty, never actually focusing but water types, didn;t know the rarity of the two pokemon. "What is so interesting about them? Sure they are cute, but what is so interesting about them?"

Ash looked at the two pokemon, ignoring Misty. "Guys, I want to heal you, but that will only work if you let me catch you.' The two pokemon nodded weakly. Ash caught the two pokemon.

The two were quickly healed and asked if they wanted to be released. The two vigorously shook their heads, and started nuzzling Ash. The Riolu even went as far as to call Ash "Father."

Suddenly, the three eggs in Ash's bag glowed. Misty leaned in close, but Kirlia teleported her away to make sure that they didn't imprint on her.

What hatched were a Cubchoo, Magby, and a Elekid.

All had the same thought: _Daddy!_

**Holy shit, I'm FINALLY DONE! Tell me what you think of this completely delayed chapter. As always, R&amp;R and I will see you next time.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, I'm back!**

**So this chapter took MUCH longer than I expected to come out. Then again, with my tight schedule as well as being...preoccupied, well I guess you can figure out the rest.**

**Also, I will be changing this story so that it is just Cynthia and Gardevoir being with Ash. I know that a lot of you guys want other girls in, but I can't find a way to fit all of them in while giving them enough time with Ash. Flame all you want if you wish, but like I said, I just can't. Hope you guys understand.**

**If any of you have any issues, either give me a review or PM me. I will reply back as soon as I can.**

**Just a heads up, I will give flashes of Ash's childhood occasionally. They will not all be condensed into one, however. There will also not be one in this chapter, to anyone who was looking forward to one.**

**A/N I never meant for Ash to find a Zoroark. It was meant to be a Zorua, but seeing as you guys are all happy with Zoroark, I will include him.**

Ash was amazed. In only a few days into his journey, he had gotten a full team of pokemon. Granted, half of them were babies and couldn't battle immediately in competitive battling, but it was still a huge advantage.

He was also surprised to find a Zoroark. It was an extremely powerful pokemon, yet was willing to join him. However, it did have a condition: it would not battle for Ash unless it was an emergency or until he had gotten at least 3 gym badges.

Ash was perfectly fine with these conditions and scanned them with his pokedex.

**Zoroark, the Illusion Fox Pokemon. This Zoroark has the ability Illusion. It knows Night Daze, Imprison, Leer, Pursuit, Hone Claws, Feint Attack, Taunt, Foul Play, Night Slash, Torment, Snatch, Spite, and the egg move Dark Pulse. This Zoroark is a female.**

Ash was astonished by the power Zoroark contained. He asked her about it, but she refused to reveal anything about her past.

He sighed and checked out Riolu's stats.

**Riolu, the Emanation Pokemon. This Riolu had the hidden ability Prankster. It knows Foresight, Quick Attack, Force Palm, Counter, Copycat, Nasty Plot, Drain Punch, Helping Hand, and the egg move Sky Uppercut. However, it has not been unlocked yet. This Riolu is a male.**

Ash then had his thoughts confirmed. The two pokemon had once come from other trainers but he didn't know why they were out here. He decided not to ask until they were comfortable.

He looked over at Magby's stats.

**Magby, the Live Coal Pokemon. This Magby has the ability Flame Body. It knows Smog, Leer, Ember, Smokescreen, Fire Punch, and the egg move Flare Blitz. However, it has not been unlocked yet. This Magby is a male.**

Ash then looked at Elekid's stats.

**Elekid, the Electric Pokemon. This Elekid has the ability Motor Drive. It knows Quick Attack, Leer, Thunder Shock, Thunder Wave, Thunder Punch, and the egg move Cross Chop. However, it has not been unlocked yet. This Elekid is a male.**

Finally, Ash looked at Cubchoo's stats.

**Cubchoo, the Chill Pokemon. This Cubchoo has the ability Snow Cloak. It knows Growl, Powder Snow, Icy Wind, Play Nice, Ice Punch, and the egg move Focus Punch. However, it has not been unlocked yet. This Cubchoo is a male.**

Ash whistled. He had a good base for a team. However, he knew that often he would have to rotate teams to accommodate his pokemon's training schedule.

Ash then had an idea. He would give nicknames to those that wanted them.

"Do any of you want nicknames?"

Riolu stepped up eagerly. _Please, father._

Ash smiled. "Since you call me father, it is only right to call you Son."

Riolu yelped in joy and hugged Ash's legs.

Magby then chirped up.

"How about...Vulcan?"

Magby chirped in agreement. Then Elekid stepped up, not wanting to miss out an opportunity to bond with his father.

"Elekid, what do you think of...Feedback(**A/N I ran out of ideas, okay? Besides, those tails of his could redirect energy. I have a little theory going on that Hyper Beam could be redirected because as it is pure energy, and Electivire can absorb energy while sending it out through its tails, shouldn't it be able to do this with Hyper beam or some other energy-based move? Tell me what you guys think.**)?"

Elekid thought for a while before nodding in agreement.

Finally, Ash looked at Cubchoo. Before he said anything, however, Cubchoo instantly nodded his head.

"I think you should be...Arctic. What do you think?"

Cubchoo pondered for a few minutes before shaking his head.

"What about...Boreas?"

Cubchoo also shook his head at that one.

"Than what do you think of...Kaikias(**I believe that he wielded ice in Greek mythology.**)."

Cubchoo thought for a bit before nodding his head, satisfied with the result.

Ash grinned. This was going to be the start of something very interesting.

He then looked at a shocked Misty and an amused Kirlia.

"Well, ladies, shall we go on our way?"

* * *

Ash and the others finally arrived in Viridian Forest, though Misty was shaking in fear and then ran away to the nearest city. Ash shook his head. On the bright side, he wouldn't have to endure her bickering for the entire forest.

Ash then thought about what pokemon he could catch. It wasn't as though he would find some particularly strong ones, but they could become some very effective bases for his team.

He didn't have to search for long. Soon, he stumbled upon a Caterpie.

"Caterpie, I challenge you to a pokemon battle!"

Caterpie looked at Ash in surprise and determination. Usually, he was left alone due to his relative weakness despite his eagerness to become powerful. He nodded eagerly and put himself in a readied position.

Ash thought about his tactics. Caterpie's didn't exactly have the best moveset, however, it could have some tricks up its sleeve. He decided to bring out Son.

"Son, go!"

Son came out and went into a battle stance when it saw Caterpie. Before anything happened, however, Caterpie suddenly launched a yellow web at Riolu.

Ash gasped. This Caterpie was far more experienced than he anticipated. "Son, destroy that Electroweb with Copycat!"

Son glowed for a bit before sending out its own Electroweb, which canceled both attacks. While it was doing so, Caterpie had scrambled over in a Tackle and bitten down hard on Son.

Ash was impressed. He had seen very few Caterpie's with determination. Granted, the only other ones he met were Gary's and the ones in his study books, but it was still impressive.

"Son, don't back down! Use Force Palm to get it off you!" Son gritted its teeth and fought off the pain, before sending a shockwave of force at Caterpie, sending the Worm Pokemon flying.

As Ash looked at where Caterpie had fallen, he was genuinely surprised to see that it was still struggling to get up with a fierce determination. In a last ditch effort, it attempted a Tackle on Son.

"Son, there is no need to hurt it anymore. Use Quick Attack to move away."

Son swiftly dodged from where he was standing before, causing Caterpie to hit the ground. This used up the last bit of his energy, and he lay on the ground unmoving.

Ash threw the pokeball at Caterpie, where it captured him without any sign of a struggle. As he picked it up, he looked at it with pride. His first caught pokemon, and it had put up a great fight. The pokeball soon disappeared as it was transferred to Professor Oak's lab. Ash then looked at Son, who was panting slightly.

"Come on, Son," he said to his faithful partner. "Let's go find some more friends!"

* * *

Ash and Son were walking around in the forest, enjoying the peaceful scenery while they could. If what he knew about this forest was true, then there were lots of Beedrill in this area. And despite trusting Son's skill, he didn't think that Son could take on swarm after swarm. Not to mention Zoroark being unlikely to actually dirty her hands with attacking Beedrill. He hoped that if they did have to face off a pokemon, he wouldn't have to face one with such versatility as the Caterpie he fought before.

He also realized that with the upgraded pokedex he got from Professor Oak, he could transfer pokemon without the need of a pokedex. He found this incredibly useful. He sent Vulcan, Feedback, Kaikias, and Zoroark. In return, he took out Caterpie.

He looked at Caterpie's stats through the pokedex.

**Caterpie, the Worm Pokemon. This Caterpie has the hidden ability Run Away. This Caterpie knows Tackle, String Shot, Bug Bite, and Electroweb. This Caterpie is a male. Note, it is unusual to see a Caterpie with the ability to use Electroweb.**

Ash was impressed with the movepool that Caterpie had. He then had a question.

"Hey Caterpie, why can you use Electroweb?"

Caterpie attempted to speak, but realized that Ash couldn't understand. Then Son came in and decided to interpret.

_Father, he says that he has been training constantly so that someone can recognize his spirit and enable him to one day be a Butterfree._

Ash was amazed by Caterpie's spirit. "Don't worry Caterpie, we will help you earn your dream!"

Caterpie nodded before asking Son something.

_Father, Caterpie says he wishes to be known as Buzzkill._

Ash was confused. "Why does he want such an ominous name?"

_He says that he hates how his species is constantly looked down upon by others, and wishes to prove how powerful his species can be._

Ash grinned. "Alright, Buzzkill, welcome to the team!"

He then noticed something. Buzzkill had the ability Run Away, which basically meant that it was rebelling against it's nature just to battle alongside Ash. Ash felt his pride swelling up at how Buzzkill was dedicated to battling with Ash, to the point where it went against it's nature.

* * *

Ash was strolling through Viridian Forest, enjoying the scenery. He knew that there were some basic pokemon here that could be used to strengthen his pokemon, but he didn't believe in power leveling. Rather, he believed in the power of friendship.

Suddenly, he heard a sharp cry from above. When he looked up, his eyes widened in disbelief. Instead of a Pidgey, which he was expecting, it was a Pidgeotto. Ash was confused as to how a Pidgeotto came to be there but decided to take up the challenge.

"Pidgeotto, I challenge you to a battle!"

Pidgeotto looked at Ash was calculating eyes before giving off a sharp cry and going into a battle position.

"Kirlia, come out!"

Kirlia came out before looking at the Pidgeotto with a glare and steadying herself.

Pidgeotto started off with Gust, causing winds to buffet against Kirlia.

"Kirlia, use Double Team!"

Kirlia attempted to avoid the attack by using Double Team, but Pidgeotto simply glanced at all the targets and used Quick Attack on the real Kirlia, signifying Keen Eyes as its ability.

"Alright, if that won't work, use Psychic!"

Kirlia's eyes glowed, before enshrouding Pidgeotto in a psychic force and repeatedly slamming it against the floor before releasing it.

Pidgeotto staggered around a bit before shaking its head and using Twister.

Ash gasped. This Pidgeotto was becoming harder and harder to face.

"Kirlia, stop it with Disarming Voice, and finish it with Draining Kiss!"

Ash crossed his fingers behind his back in hopes that his strategy would work. Kirlia let out a shriek that made Pidgeotto stop the Twister and Teleported next to it, before giving it a kiss.

Pidgeotto glowed red with hearts in its eyes, before an orb left its body and entered Kirlia's. With this, it was exhausted, and was knocked out. Asg took this opportunity to capture it.

Ash grinned. "Thank you, Kirlia!"

Kirlia blushed, and gave Ash a hug. It then spoke into Ash's mind.

_Ash, can I not stay in my pokeball? It gets terribly boring in there._

Ash nodded. "Of course you can."

Ash then looked at the pokeball where Pidgeotto was in.

"Welcome to the team, Pidgeotto."

**Oh my god(s), you have no idea how hard it was to type this chapter up. I have been so preoccupied these last few days, and I didn't really have a lot of time to type this chapter up. I know I promised longer chapters, but it has just been so long since I last updated, that I figured you guys should have a chapter to compensate.**

**Note, I do not know when this story will be updated again. It was hard enough to type this chapter up, and I still have other stories as well as other new stories in planning.**

**See you guys next time, I guess.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Oh damn...it's been a LONG time since this story was last updated.**

**I'm so sorry that it's been so long but I've been extremely caught up in other stuff lately (okay that's bullshit, half my time was spent on watching SAO, Bakemonogatari, Date a Live, and The Fruit of Grisaia, but the remaining half was actual work that got to the point where I had a cramp in my leg out of nowhere in the middle of the night). Not to mention as soon as I got home from overseas I faced a technology ban.**

**To compensate for my horribly long hiatus, I've tried making this chapter as long as possible.**

**Also, to those wondering about Ash's condition, I know this would be a bad ****explanation for the officer scene, but considering the possibility of him being a pokemon thief, they would probably have taken Kirlia away for safekeeping due to her state. I apologize for any misunderstandings that I may have created.**

**Gary, Ritchie and Leaf...they will appear sporadically until their major appearances in the league, but otherwise will have supporting roles. As for Misty and Brock, they will probably travel with Ash but for some reason Nevryn always seemed to hate Misty for her abrasive attitude so I'll probably make her appear a few times at most, unless I need to find a way to fill in the plot.**

**I'm thinking of changing the story more centric around Ash x Cynthia and Gardevoir being more like a master/servant love like the original version.**

**I'm really sorry about all the plot holes, but like I've expressed so many times, I'm not as good of a writer as Nevryn and the ideas he had to fill in the holes later on are all lost on me. In fact, I'm retiring after this chapter and handing all rights back to him.**

**Also, I've changed things up a bit from how they are in the anime and from my original story (screw it, I've changed a lot). You'll see what I mean as you read this chapter.**

**Let's see how this goes.**

As Ash stretched, he pondered what he would do now. He had already had a full team, and they were far more powerful than the ordinary team of the average trainer.

He thought of what he would use for his first gym battle. He had heard that Brock used rock types and his team depended on how much of a threat his opponents were. Usually, he would use a Geodude and an Onix, but he might use another pokemon against harder foes.

Ideally, he could use Zoroark to overwhelm Brock, but that would never happen. He would settle for Son, who was already quite strong, but he needed a backup pokemon in case Son was knocked out by a surprise move.

He settled with Kirlia. There was little he could do with Feedback, Vulcan, and Kaikias as they were still babies and were not capable of battling as of yet. Buzzkill, even with his conviction, would be easily overpowered with a single direct hit. Pidgeotto was a possible alternative if enough training was given, but it was highly unlikely that he would be able to do so much in so little time.

After he had made his decision, he began heading for the forest when he heard some people fighting. He and Kirlia raced to where they heard the noise.

He saw a girl being harassed by someone, while protecting an unidentified pokemon behind her who seemed to be injured.

"Come on, give them up or else we'll take all your pokemon by force."

The girl shook her head. "No! I won't give anything to you people."

The man growled. "That's it, I'm done playing around. Golbat, attack her!"

Ash watched in horror as the man released a Golbat who prepared to attack her.

"Kirlia, use Psychic!"

Golbat prepared to use Wing Attack on the girl before it felt itself enveloped in a psychic energy. It was then tossed around relentlessly, before it finally collapse, defeated.

The man spun around furiously. "Who's there?"

Ash stepped up. "How can you take someone else's pokemon? Kirlia, send him flying with Moonblast!"

Kirlia, in her anger, created a large Moonblast that practically detonated as it hit the man, sending him and his pokemon flying away.

Ash rushed to the girl's side. "Hey are you okay?"

"Yeah, though Gible is kind of tired."

_So that pokemon is a Gible_, thought Ash. When he was studying pokemon in the Kanto region, he never remembered seeing it. It must have been from another region.

The girl stood up. "Don't worry about us. We'll be fine. Thanks for the help, though. What's your name?"

"Ash."

"Mine is Cynthia. Is there any chance that you might be trying out for the league?"

"Yeah, you too?"

"That's right, we already had our first badge, but Gible was still tired after the match when we were attacked by that man. He chased us here. May our paths cross again." The two shook hands before Cynthia pulled him into a hug, surprising him. Afterwards, she left.

Ash was stunned but he shook his head. Kirlia, though, was unhappy.

"Thank's for the help, Kirlia."

Kirlia said nothing, but inwardly she was pleased that Ash had complimented her. Suddenly, they heard a massive roar outside.

The two raced there and were shocked to see a massive green dragon in front of him. He scanned it with his pokedex.

**Rayquaza, the Sky High pokemon. Note, that this pokemon is a legendary.**

Ash was absolutely terrified but he steeled his nerves. "Wow, another legendary. Aren't we lucky to have seen two on our first few days?" he asked Kirlia.

Kirlia could not even answer, as she was still staring at Rayquaza.

Rayquaza then looked down on them. _Are you the one known as Ash Ketchum?_

"I-I am."

_I have been roaming for many centuries. I have yet to find a human that is worthy enough to use my strength. I believe you may be that human._

"How? I mean, I just started my journey a few days ago!"

_Think about what has happened over the course of your journey so far. You protected your pokemon from harm and nearly lost your life for it. You helped a girl out even though her predicament had nothing to do with you._

"But, anyone could have done so."

_Ho-oh herself blessed you with her appearance. She had not been seen in years ever since her tower burned. She has deemed you worthy of our attention. But tell me, if you were to accept me, what would you do with my strength?_

Ash thought for a bit. "I guess I wouldn't use you until the leagues, since it wouldn't be fair to those that were preparing and weren't ready for an all out battle. But I wouldn't forget about training you, either, because then you would be doing nothing and that would be too boring for you.

_And that is where you different from other humans, Ash. Others wouldn't hesitate to use my power in all their battles. And there are fewer that take their pokemon's thoughts and feelings into consideration. You would not have let your pride or achievement get into your head._

"I guess..."

_I will repeat my offer. Will you accept me into your team?_

Ash looked at Kirlia, who nodded her head. Ash took a deep breath. "Welcome to the team, Rayquaza."

Rayquaza then handed a Cherish Ball to Ash before going inside.

_This Cherish Ball will contain me. I have transported one of your pokemon back to wherever they go, since that way my presence wouldn't be found out._

Ash looked down at the Cherish Ball. He then looked at an amazed Kirlia.

"Well, Kirlia, looks like we have another friend on our team."

* * *

Ash had healed his team at the Pokemon Center. He withheld Rayquaza, though, so that he wouldn't be found out by Nurse Joy. Afterwards he and Kirlia stood outside the gym.

_We're finally here, _he thought. He and Kirlia entered the gym. It was dark inside with no lights.

"Excuse me, is anyone here?"

Suddenly, the lights turned on harshly, making him cringe.

"Who dares enter my gym?"

As his eyes readjusted, Ash saw Brock standing there.

"I, Ash Ketchum, challenge the Pewter City Gym."

"Very well, shall we do a 2v2 or a 3v3?"

"What is the difference?"

"Taking the original challenge will give a classic badge that gives regular access to the league after getting 8. However, if you take a tougher challenge and get 8 badges, you are given the privilege of having an exhibition match with an Elite 4 member during the league. However, very few people manage to complete this challenge due to it's difficulty."

"What's life without a little challenge? I'll tackle the 3v3."

"Ah, such spirit, that's nice. Very well, Geodude, lets go!"

"Son, let's go!"

A Geodude appeared on Brock's side of the field while Son appeared on Ash's side of the field. Kirlia herself went off to the sidelines to spectate.

Brock was surprised. "A Riolu? You understand that you could have easily won during the regular challenge, don't you?"

Ah smirked. "Of course."

Brock shook his head. "Then don't expect me to go easy on you. You can have the first move."

"Okay! Son, start things off with Nasty Plot!"

"That's interesting...most trainers go full-on offense when battling me. It's nice to see a change in style. Stealth Rock!"

As Riolu began raising it's stats, Geodude sent several large boulders out of the earth that floated around before disappearing. Ash frowned.

"That's not very nice, Brock. Son, Quick Attack!"

"Hm, I expected better. Meet it with Tackle!"

The two pokemon charged at each other, and just as they were about to connect...

"Force Palm!"

Brock could only look in horror as Geodude was sent flying with point-blank hit.

"Geodude, are you alright?!"

Geodude came out covered in bruises and scratches, but let out out a roar in defiance. Suddenly, it was cloaked in a harsh white light and in its place was not a Geodude, but a Graveler.

"Alright, Graveler, Rollout!"

"Meet it with Copycat!"

The two pokemon rolled towards each other and struggled for dominance, but Graveler's sheer size overpowered Son and sent him flying.

"Son! Close the distance with Quick Attack and then send it flying with Force Palm!"

"Graveler, whether it away with Defense Curl."

Graveler curled up, minimizing the damage. The force of the attack sent it flying, though, and hit the wall and but then ricocheted off and hit Riolu.

"Now, Graveler, end it with a full-power Rollout!"

"Son! Don't give up! Charge up a Counter and put that force into a Drain Punch!"

Son steadied himself and glowed a red aura as Graveler came charging, boosted by the previous Defense Curl. It put it's hands out in front of it and caught the Rollout, his muscles screaming in pain at the straining. He slid back a few feet, but his determination to not let Ash down prevailed. It then released all that energy stored by the Counter into a Drain Punch and smashed Graveler.

The sheer power of that one punch sent Graveler flying through the gym and crashing into the gym wall. As the dust cleared, it attempted to steady itself but it had exhausted itself and collapsed.

"Graveler is unable to battle, Riolu is the winner."

Son sighed in relief. He had healed back a little from the Drain Punch, but the battle was extremely taxing.

Brock returned Graveler. 'Most impressive, Ash, but the battle is far from over. Onix, let's go!"

Onix came out and let loose a large Screech, causing Son and Ash to cover their ears.

"Son, use Drain Punch!"

"That's not going to work! Onix, show them the power of your Harden!"

Onix strengthened it's defense just before Son's fist crashed into it. Son cried out in pain as it's fist hit the hardened defense.

"Hahaha," laughed Brock. "Your Riolu is strong, but it can;t do anything if it can't overpower my Onix's rock hard defenses! Onix, Rock Throw!"

"Counter!"

Onix picked up a boulder and threw it at Son. Son glowed a red aura and caught the boulder with his hands and threw it back at Onix. It hit Onix, but it had little effect.

"Onix, show them your true power! Dragon Breath!"

"Son!"

Onix released a massive Dragon Breath that hit So at full force. Because it wasn't a physical move, Son had no way to counter it.

Son screamed in agony as the Dragon Breath hit it, scoring major damage. After the attack subsided so Onix could catch it's breath, Son was barely standing.

"Son," cried out Ash. "Are you alright?"

Son weakly nodded his head. He would not go down until the bitter end (_**E**__**t acerbis terminus. **_**Etiquette and Espionage, anyone?**).

Suddenly, Son began concentrating power in his right arm. Ash was amazed and scanned him with the pokedex.

**Reversal, an all-out attack that becomes more powerful the less HP a pokemon has. Can turn the tide of a battle.**

"Alright, Son, give it all you got! Reversal!"

"Onix, send him flying with Slam!"

The two pokemon hit each other at intense speeds. They sent each other flying into the other side of the gym.

Son was clearly knocked out, but miraculously Onix was still conscious.

Ash returned Son. "Thank you, my friend. Kirlia, let's go." Kirlia nodded before teleporting to the field.

"Finish him with Moonblast."

Before Brock could even react, Kirlia sent a Moonblast at an incredible speed that quickly knocked Onix out.

Brock was stunned. He then returned Onix.

"Most impressive Ash, but here is where it all ends. Kabutops, let's go!"

**Done! As I promise, I will be retiring and handing all rights back to Nevryn. Go ahead and review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**What's up, guys?**

**Yeah, I know. I'm surprised to be writing again. Especially after I left this account to Anarchy...**

**So the reason why this story is updated again is because I figured that at the rate I'm going at, I'll never get anything done. So I've decided to try to bump all my stories to at least 5 chapters.**

**So, let's see...damn, Anarchy made that last chapter better than anything else I have written before. Well, let's see if I can replicate the same reactions.**

**I'll explain why I was gone at the end of this chapter.**

Ash and Kirlia's eyes widened as they saw the fossil pokemon in front of them.

"Kabutops, unleash the Stealth Rock."

Kabutops roared before rocks suddenly materialized and slammed into Kirlia.

Ash watched in horror as Kirlia was crushed under a pile of rocks. "Kirlia!"

Slowly, Kirlia pulled herself from the carnage, wincing at the pain.

"Slash."

Kabutops rushed in at blinding speed. Before Kirlia could react, she was sent flying at the power of the attack.

"Kirlia, are you alright?"

As Kirlia stood up, she nodded before looking at Kabutops with new-found determination.

"Kabutops, Aqua Jet."

"Teleport and then use Magical Leaf!"

Kirlia narrowly avoided the attack and then sent a swarm of glowing leaves at Kabutops. Kabutops tried to slash them away but in vain, as it screamed in pain from the relentless barrage (**After all, Kabutops are meant to be pure offense. There is a reason for Weakness Policy.**).

"Kabutops, endure the pain! Use X-Scissor!"

Kabutops instantly recovered and blitzed across the field. It crossed its scythes and slashed them in a x-shape, sending Kirlia flying once more.

"Don't let up! Use back-to-back Slashes!"

"Kirlia! Detonate a Moonblast!"

Kirlia's eyes widened as she saw Kabutops in front of she. She quickly created a Moonblast, but just as it hit Kabutops, she released all the energy creating a massive explosion that engulfed Kabutops.

Brock's eyes widened. That wasn't supposed to happen. "Kabutops, are you alright?"

In the midst of the carnage, Kabutops gave out a loud roar and emerged, heavily bruised. It was favoring its left leg, and the way its left arm hung meant that it would be useless for the rest of this battle.

"Kabutops, we have one more chance! End this with Superpower!"

Kabutops gave out a roar before it was covered in a reddish aura. It then raced towards Kirlia as fast as it could, determined to end things as soon as possible.

Ash's eyes widened in horror. If that attack connected, it would all have been over.

"Kirlia! Slow it down with Psychic and finish him off with Magical Leaf!"

Kirlia used Psychic which temporarily stopped Kabutops but eventually broke free. This short pause was enough time to allow Kirlia to unleash the devastating attack on Kabutops.

It was not enough to spare Kirlia, however. By the time the attack was released, Kabutops had already closed in the distance and unleashed one mighty slash at Kirlia, sending her flying into the wall.

"Kirlia!"

As the dust cleared, Kirlia was unconscious after hitting the wall. Kabutops was still standing shakily on its legs, but fatigue overtook it and it soon collapsed, not moving.

"Both pokemon are unable to battle! Since the challenger still has one pokemon, the winner is Ash Ketchum!"

Ash was stunned. He had actually made it through that ordeal. He ran over to Kirlia, who was beginning to regain consciousness.

"Hey, Kirlia. We finally did it. Thanks."

Kirlia managed a weak smile. _'No problem, Ash.' _

Brock smiled as he returned Kabutops. This trainer had massive potential.

"Congratulations. From what I've seen, you deserve this badge.

Ash took the badge. It looked similar to a Boulder Badge, but in the center was a piece of ruby, signifying its uniqueness.

"By the way, Ash, how did you get such a unique Kirlia? I've never seen their species with that type of coloring before."

Ash scratched his head. "I don't know. I got her as my starter from Professor Oak."

Brock thought for a bit. "Tell me, Ash, does your Kirlia enjoy being in a pokeball?"

"No, why?"

"Oh it's just that you might want to be careful with that Kirlia of yours. That coloring is unlike any I've ever seen before, so there is no doubt that crooks might be after it."

Ash thought for a moment. "That is true, but I respect Kirlia's wishes above mine. The best I can do is make sure that I can protect her at all times."

Brock smiled. He had to admire this trainer's bond with his pokemon.

"Well, I won't hold you up any longer. Go to the pokemon center and heal your pokemon up." With that Ash left the gym.

Ash headed straight to Nurse Joy, where he place Son and Kirlia in her care. Nurse Joy said not to worry, as they would be back to full strength soon enough.

Ash then decide to train the babies. Though he would never actually use them in battle yet, he wanted to see how they could do in training.

After releasing them and telling them that he was going to train them, he immediately noticed a problem. While the other two were practically jumping up and down in excitement, Kaikias shook his head and sat down with a frown. Ash frowned.

"Kaikias, is here something wrong?"

Kaikias slowly nodded his head, afraid to look Ash in the eye.

Ash thought for a bit. "Is it that...you don't like to battle?"

Kaikias nodded again.

Ash smiled. "Don't worry. I won't force you to battle. If you want, you can stay with Mom and help her out after I've finished today's training, okay?"

Kaikias perked up. His trainer was willing to put his pokemon's interests before his own. He nodded.

Ash then thought of a training plan. First, he would teach the three to balance themselves. Due to the fact that they were still quite young, they could stand but would easily lose their balance at the slightest disturbance.

So he first had them practice walking around. Eventually, the three could walk around with no problem.

Then, Ash had them practice standing their ground. He assigned that one pokemon would push the other and they would fight for dominance. This would not only build up their endurance, but allow them to find their center of gravity to balance themselves. Soon, they found that they could walk and run around with ease.

Afterwards, he began trying out their movesets. He allowed Kaikias to sit this one out.

"Alright, Vulcan, let's try out that Ember. Feedback, show me your Thundershock."

Vulcan took a deep breath before shooting out a few embers that were easily dispersed. Feedback whirred his arms around before releasing a small jolt of electricity that quickly faded.

The two slumped down in sadness at seeing their moves fail so quickly.

"Don't worry guys. With practice, I'm sure you will be okay." The two looked at their trainer before nodding their head in determination.

Ash had Vulcan reach down inside of him and try to use his internal flame, as well as teaching him how to control his breath to maximize the number of embers shot out. As for Feedback, Ash had him try to access the energy inside of him to avoid spending too much time windmilling his arms for energy.

After a while, many improvements could be seen. Vulcan could shoot out far more embers than before while Feedback took far less time to create a Thundershock.

"That's great guys," cheered Ash. "Come on, you must be exhausted from all that training." He then returned the two.

Ash then looked at Kaikias. "Are you sure you want to stay at home?"

Kaikias nodded with a small smile, grateful for Ash listening to his opinion.

Ash smiled before returning his pokemon. Using the features of his pokedex, he remotely sent Kaikias, Vulcan and Feedback to Professor Oak's ranch while replacing them with Buzzkill, Pidgeotto, and Zoroark.

He then went inside to the pokemon center. There, Son and Kirlia were waiting for him.

"Hey guys, you're all better again!" After some hugs, he returned Son and went to video call Professor Oak.

"Hello, professor."

"Hello, Ash. I see that you are already in Pewter City. Did you challenge the gym leader yet?"

"Yes, and I got my first badge!" Ash held up his Boulder Badge.

"Wonderful, my boy, and I see that you took the challenge match. Congratulations on winning. By the way, how many pokemon have you caught or seen so far?"

Ash thought for a moment. He figured it would be best if Professor Oak found out for himself. "Why don't you see for yourself?"

"Alright. I see that Ralts has evolved into Kirlia, congratulations on that. Your three eggs have hatched, which is wonderful. A Caterpie, very interesting. A Pidgeotto, impressive how you caught it after it's Pidgey stage. And..." He stopped short.

"Ash, please explain tome how you found a Riolu and a Zoroark," he said with wide eyes.

Ash sighed before relating the story of how he found them on the road.

"Amazing, those pokemon are incredibly rare in this region. Do you know how lucky you are?"

"Does it really matter? Pokemon are pokemon, it doesn't make a difference as you must treat them all with respect and kindness."

"I see. You are wise beyond your years. And your last pokemon-" Before Professor Oak could finish, his jaw dropped.

"A-Ash, is it true?"

Ash sighed. "Yeah, I kept him with me to make sure that you wouldn't freak out about it."

"But how? No one has even seen Rayquaza outside of its myths in the Chaos Age and even if it were to appear, why is it not in the Jade Orb."

Ash thought for a moment before Rayquaza told him in his mind.

"Apparently, according to Rayquaza, the Jade orb is merely a manifestation of a sliver of his power, which tells him when he needs to be called on. As for why I have him, I'd rather not go into details."

Oak visibly deflated at this. "I see. Well, when Gary finds out about this, he is sure to be jealous. He made a bet with me that you couldn't catch a single pokemon and lo and behold."

"Professor, you really shouldn't be gambling."

"Ah well, anything to bring down Gary's ego is fair game to me."

"That I can agree on."

The professor chuckled. He never had the chance for this bantering with Gary. "Well then, have you rung up your mother yet?"

"I was going to call her after you, professor."

"Well, I will not hold you back any longer. Goodbye!"

"Bye!"

After the call was ended, Ash immediately called his mother.

"Hello, Ash!"

"Hey, mom."

"Where are you now, sweetie?"

"I'm at Pewter City, and i just got my Boulder Badge."

"That's great, dear!"

"Oh by the way, mom, do you need anyone to help around in the house?"

"Whatever for?"

"Well, one of my pokemon prefers not to battle, and would prefer to stay by your side."

"I suppose I could have an extra hand to help around with the chores, after all you're not here anymore."

"Great! He's at the professor's ranch right now."

"Ok, sweetie, I'll pick him up now."

"Bye, mom."

"Bye sweetie, and don't forget to change your underwear!"

Ash sighed. His mother just had to bring up the underwear.

He thought about his team. He needed to especially train Buzzkill and Pidgeotto. Kirlia and Son were fine, and a little light training wouldn't hurt. It wasn't likely that Zoroark would listen to him. Rayquaza...he'd need to find a way to train the legendary without attracting the attention of others.

He walked outside with Kirlia and they soon found themselves in front of a vendor. Most of it were just random items, but three caught his eye.

They were a Dome Fossil, Helix Fossil and an Old Amber.

The seller noticed where he was looking. "Ah, you noticed the fossils, eh? Tell you what, I'll give one to you for free if you buy at least two of my merchandise."

Ash looked around and saw a couple of items that caught his attention.

"Sir, I would like the Metal Coat and the Thunderstone."

"250 pokedollars, please."

After Ash paid, the man then put the three fossils in front of him.

"Well now, young man, which one would you like?"

**And I'll stop here for now. You guys can decide which one Ash will get.**

**Now I know I said I would retire, but I was actually going through a rough patch of my life. I suffer from Dissociative Personality Disorder, and I have terrorized my friends just by mentioning Grimm (I don't want to go there).**

**Anyways, I was hoping that Anarchy could hold out for a little longer but I guess not everything works out the way you want it to.**

**Also, this is my only account, so when Anarchy mentioned Nevryn, he means me.**

**See you guys next time.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys, I'm back.**

**I know, it's been a while since this was last updated, but hey. TTOANC hasn't been updated in over five months, so you guys shouldn't be complaining.**

**Alright, I've made my decision for fossil pokemon. The overwhelming majority chose Old Amber while the Dome Fossil came in second. I'll go with Old Amber because it , as some of you pointed out, fits his battle style. A Kabuto will probably come in later.**

Ash thought for a moment before deciding.

"I'll take the Old Amber, sir."

The man nodded before giving it to him.

Then Ash noticed something. "Are you, by any chance, related Brock?"

The man's head tilted to the side slightly. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, if we removed your beard, you two look strikingly similar."

The man sighed before nodding his head. "I'm his father, Flint. I once left my family to go on a journey, but I have nothing to show for it. I am ashamed to face my children."

"You should be even more ashamed to leave your children without a father."

Flint looked at Ash. "What do you mean?"

Ash sighed. "Maybe I am a bit hasty in turning my opinion into theirs but I can sympathize with them. My father, although he still visits sometimes, has almost no time to see my and my mom. I missed him for most of my childhood and I can never get the time lost back. I had to find another father figure elsewhere but I still could not replicate him. Do you know how painful it is for a person to live knowing that a central part of their life is missing?"

Flint looked at Ash with a stunned look on his face. "I...I want to see my children, but I don't know how I can face ten again."

"Then we'll come to you." Ash and Flint turned to see the owner of the voice and faced a scowling Brock.

"So. The rumors were true. You were living here is Pewter City even though you never bothered to talk to us."

He then surprised Flint with a hug.

"Why didn't you contact us? We would have supported you no matter what happened, you old fool. If we didn't hate you for leaving mom, why would we hate you for not winning a league?"

Ah smiled slightly as Brock scolded Flint and let the two reconcile.

* * *

Meanwhile, in distant Kalos, an explosion had occurred in a Team Flare base.

"Warning. Subject Origin has fine wild. Abort Project Guardian."

Grunts ran out of the area as an entire part of the base was obliterated in a flash of green light. A massive roar ran out and the creature that caused the damage came out.

It had a bipedal form, three claws on each hand, white eyes with no pupils, and a predominantly black body, with areas of red, blue, green, and white on it.

It roared one more time, before grabbing its tail and tearing it off. Wincing lightly at the pain, it concentrated its power before the tail split off into 20 identical creatures, similar to a planarian.

_Are you all conscious?_

The 20 creatures replied in unison, _Yes, __progenitor. We await your command._

The creature nodded before speaking. _I will send you out to other regions. I give you all my blessings so that you may advance in forms. When you reach your designated form, return to me, so that we may protect this land together._

_Yes, __progenitor._

The creature nodded one more time before roaring again and unleashing a massive wave of raw power that sent the others flying while destroying the remains of the building. As the twenty began spreading out, a faint glow enveloped them.

The creature sighed while its tail began reforming. Afterwards, it changed into a serpentine form. _Why, Aaron, has your kind fallen so low? Is there any other human that is as virtuous as you are?_

**(And, I'll leave it to your imaginations to figure out what pokemon it is.)**

After Brock and Flint went back to the rest of the family, Ash went to the museum to get the fossil resurrected. The curator was astonished that an Old Amber was before his eyes, before he caught himself and began the reviving process for Ash.

In the meantime, Ash pondered what to do. He had struggled to get even his first badge, and there were still eight more to go.

He decided to take a walk around the forest with Kirlia and the two strolled aimlessly for a while before seeing a beam of light blue energy and a bunch of Spearows fleeing.

The two went over to where the sound originated and found themselves confronting a green wormlike creature.

* * *

After the creature had spread out the twenty planarian-like others, one happened to land in a forest, where it immediately began absorbing information from its surroundings.

Before long, it felt itself ready for the next form and began changing. It's body morphed erratically until it settled into its next phase - a wormlike creature with one eye.

It moved around, intending to gather more information on its surroundings before finding itself against a Pidgey.

The Pidgey curiously stared at the creature before hopping over.

_Friend, what are you doing here?_ asked the Pidgey.

_I am sent here the progenitor to achieve my designated form and report back as soon as I achieve it._

_Progenitor...oh well. Are you from around here? I've never seen any of your kind before._

_I do not know. The progenitor works in mysterious ways. I am designated so that I will be unable to function properly before my next phase, unfortunately._

_Oh. How long until your next phase?_

_According to the absorption I have already done, I am at 5% of my ultimate form as of now. My next phase will not come until I reach 10._

_Oh, that's interesting. I have to go now._ And like that, the Pidgey flew away.

The creature than maneuvered around until it found itself surrounded by a group of Spearows. They cawed threateningly and prepared to attack it.

The creature, however, did not cower in fear. Instead, it gathered power before releasing a beam of light blue energy at them as a warning shot.

The Spearows shrieked in surprise as the warning sit left a tingly sensation on their skin, signifying the power behind the shot. Not wanting to be hit, the group left.

The creature then sensed two figures moving towards it. Neither of them seemed hostile, so it merely turned towards them.

As it did so, it was greeted with a human and a Kirlia.

* * *

Ash slowly went up to the pokemon in front of it. It did not run away, instead, it looked at Ash with a curious look. Ash scratched behind its head, where it gave a noise of satisfaction.

"I wonder what pokemon you are," murmured Ash. He pointed his pokedex at the pokemon.

_Pokemon not identified. Please report to your regional professor for further information._

Ash frowned. It wasn't like t for his poked to not be able to identify this pokemon. After all, he had gotten an updated model that enabled him to scan any pokemon within the 6 predominant regions.

"Do you know what this pokemon is?" he asked Kirlia. Kirlia stared at the pokemon before shaking her head.

_Honestly, I have never seen this being, nor do I have any prior knowledge on it._

Ash shook his head. "This is getting ridiculous. I barely started my journey, and I am already meeting so many rare pokemon. I swear, Professor Oak would have a seizure if he saw half of the things I saw before."

He then thought of something. _Maybe Rayquaza knows. After all, he does travel far and wide._

He called out Rayquaza. "Lord of the skies, lend me your aid." Rayquaza came out in all his glory before looking at Ash.

_Why have you called for me, Ash?_

"Do you recognize this pokemon?" asked Ash as he gestured to the green pokemon in his arms.

Rayquaza's eyes narrowed slightly. _Yes, I know of the pokemon. It should not be here. Speak, Guardian, and explain why you are over here._

The green pokemon straightened up before looking at Rayquaza.

_Greetings, Lord Rayquaza. The Guardian you must know of is my progenitor. I am Princeps Seven, one of the chosen twenty to allow our progenitor greater __strength against those that harm our ecosystem._

_I see. That would explain why you have accessed this form. What do you plan on doing now?_

_I must continue absorbing information on this world before returning once I reach my designated form._

_Would you like to join Ash in the meantime?_ The green creature thought about it for a second.

_Very well. It would give me greater access to the outside world. I will accept this offer if it is made._

Ryquaza then turned to Ash. _Ash, I am in no position to reveal the species of the Guardian's brethren. However, I will tell you that it would like to join you on your journey until it must leave due to personal matters._

Ash thought about it for a while. Although he was disappointed that he did not know the name of the pokemon, he was glad to have another traveling companion.

"That's fine with me. Although, what should I call him in the meantime?"

_Formally, you may refer to him as the Guardian. Otherwise, refer to him as Shift._

Ash nodded before holding up a pokeball at the newly dubbed Shift. It looked curiously at the pokeball before touching it, getting sucked into it. The pokeball dinged without a fight.

However, Ash noticed that the pokeball did not disappear. Puzzled, he realized that he had unconsciously sent Buzzkill's pokeball back to the ranch. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling it was best to keep the professor in the dark for now.

**(And yes, if you know what the pokemon is, I am referring to the cells as the information)**

* * *

Afterwards, Ash arrived just in time to retrieve his new Aerodactyl. As Ash stepped forward to touch it, it gave a defiant screech before flying around and yelling.

"What's going on?" asked Ash.

The scientist shook his head while furiously typing at his keyboard. "Happens all the time. Aerodactyl's are prideful. You will need to best him in a battle before it will allow you to catch it. I'm securing all the equipment and any openings so that you can battle without any collateral damage. This happens al the time, so don't worry if any damage occurs."

Ash nodded before signaling to Kirlia. She nodded before teleporting to his side.

"Kirlia, start off with Magical Leaf."

Kirlia sent a torrent of glowing leaves at the Aerodactyl. It maneuvered around some of ten, but the rest hit their mark at its wings. It roared in anger before preparing a Dragon Breath.

Ash smiled, knowing that this would be its downfall.

"Moonblast!"

Kirlia stood strong in the blast, surprising the Aerodactyl before shooting a Moonblast at it, knocking it out of the sky.

It wasn't finished, however. As it fell, it roared in defiance before its head shined and it smashed down at full force on the ground with an Iron Head attack, sending large pieces of rubble flying everywhere, not to mention striking Kirlia as well.

Kirlia shook her head and sent another Moonblast at where the Aerodactyl landed. However, Aerodactyl nimbly avoided it with Agility before creating an afterimage of itself. That afterimage spun around and formed a silver ball with a green core, which it flung at a stunned Kirlia before roaring at its display of strength.

Kirlia groaned as it struggled to get up before gathering power in both of its hands.

Ash pointed his pokedex at her in amazement.

_Shockwave, a move hits too quickly to be dodged._

"Alright, Kirlia, unleash the Shockwave!"

Kirlia let out a cry before having a blue field surround her and have several blue bolts of lightning go in every direction. The bolts traveled so quickly, Aerodactyl was hit before it even registered the threat.

As the dust cleared, it showed that Aerodactyl was unconscious from the beating it too.

Ash caught it with the pokeball, which struggled once before dinging.

"Welcome to the team, Aerodactyl."

**And yeah, Aerodactyl will be the problem child of the group for now, due to its prideful nature. Also, remember to leave your ideas for the mystery pokemon!**

**Happy holidays.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Yeah, the time has come to continue this story again.**

**My hiatus wasn't the best, and I've been dealing with a lot of crap lately.  
**

**Oh, yeah, it was pretty obvious who it was so yeah, it was Zygarde.**

**Well, hope this pays off.**

Ash scratched his head. It wasn't until he left the museum that he realized that he had no idea how to raise an Aerodactyl. Sure, they were temperamental, and that it would have to be fed consistently on berries to wean off it's predatory nature, but other than that, he didn't know much about its habits.

He brought out Kirlia.

_Yes, Ash?_

"I'm going to bring Aerodactyl to the Pokemon Center. Can you help translate for me after both of you are healed?"

_Of course. That is nothing._

"Thanks."

Perhaps a little too quietly, the two went on their way, though Ash swore that he felt a sense of foreboding creeping down his neck.

* * *

"Ash Ketchum, please come up to the front desk to pick up your pokemon."

Ash looked up from the magazine he was reading and headed over to pick up Kirlia and Aerodactyl.

"Is everything alright, Nurse Joy? Was there some major injury?"

The nurse shook her head. "Oh, no, they're healing very fine. After all, their nature makes it very hard to injure them severely. The thing is, your Aerodactyl tried to attack anyone as soon as he saw them. Do you know why this may be?"

Ash shook his head. "I don't know, we just got him from the museum."

"I see."

...

"Well," Nurse Joy in a more cheerful tone. "Here are your pokemon, and come again!"

Ash thanked Nurse Joy before leaving. He didn't dare release Aerodactyl in an open area, after hearing what Nurse Joy said.

"Kirlia, you alright?"

_Yes. I am ready._

"Okay," said Ash. He took a deep breath and released Aerodactyl.

As the pokemon slowly formed, several thoughts raced through Ash's head.

Why did Aerodactyl have such bloodlust?

Why did it seem to hate every thing else?

And above all, how would he deal with such a temperamental pokemon?

As Aerodactyl finally formed, it locked eyes with Ash and the two stared at each other before Aerodactyl lunged at Ash.

* * *

Wrath. Despair. Neglectment.

Bloodlust.

These were the only emotions that Sorann knew when he was a child. His mother died after laying his egg, seeing as there were complications due to her diminuitive size. His father was the leader of their flock, but didn't spare any love for him.

His eyes flashed with anger and sadness at seeing the other members of his species embracing their family with love.

Once, he tried to do that with his father, only to get slammed into a tree.

_There is no room for love in this world,_ his father once said. _Those that waste their precious hours by loving others only end up dying in the end. I only met your mother so that i could have a heir._

Sorann always held a deep hatred for his father, but that pushed him beyond the brink. His wrath blinded him and he savagely attacked his father.

However, in the end, his father's experience took him down.

_You have potential_, Sorann's father mused. _But you are still young and you still lost. Remember, you must never lose. Be grateful that as my heir, I must spare you. But should this happen again, I will not hesitate to replace you with another._

To remind Sorann of his failure, he savagely tore at his left eye so that there was a deep scar to remind him of what entailed him after defeat.

Sorann did not know of any better way of life until his first hunt. The thrill of seeking prey, the rush of danger, and the helpless look before him made feel truly alive.

So when the Great End came, he was mildly disappointed. He would never be able to hunt again. But that was soon ignored as he saw his father being obliterated by Yveltal's dying rampage.

Perhaps, he was right. Perhaps, one must be strong to survive.

After being awakened from the fossilized stasis that preserved his body, he felt disoriented and found his natural instincts go into overdrive. He found beings working at curious devices and he found himself drawn towards a smaller being. Well, he did need food.

However, he was stunned to see another creature be revealed and found himself at a losing battle. Although Sorann was strong, he had only had a real fight against other Aerodactyls. The Kabutops were always too deadly to hunt and the Omastar's had too much defense to be engaged properly. Everything else was prey.

When he woke up again, he found a being with pink hair tending to his wounds. He tried to attack her, but he collapsed again due to exhaustion. After a few more unsuccessful attempts to tear her apart, he resigned himself to his fate and let her heal him.

Now, he found himself face to face with the child that defeated him. He did the natural thing.

He wanted blood.

* * *

To say Ash was surprised at the Aerodactyl attacking him would be like saying that a Snorlax hated eating. It just didn't happen (at least when naturally).

That's why, he had Kirlia make sure that when the Aerodactyl tried to attack, she would stop him using Psychic.

As Ash looked at the struggling Aerodactyl, he frowned. This would have been harder than he thought.

"Aerodactyl, can you hear me?"

Upon hearing Ash's voice, the Aerodactyl stopped struggling but continued to glare at Ash.

_He wishes to know the name of who defeated him._

"My name is Ash Ketchum and this is Kirlia. Do you have a name?"

_He says that his name is Sorann._

"Well, Sorann, can you please explain to me why you hate everyone?"

Kirlia hesitated when Sorann finished speaking, before saying to Ash, _Ash, I don't think I can keep doing this. Do you think that you can do this after I establish a mental link?_

Ash blinked. "If it works, then yes."

Kirlia looked at Sorann for a minute before the fossil pokemon lowered its head in submission. Kirlia muttered a few things before Ash felt a tug in his head. It felt like a rope of thoughts was being extracted from him before it met another rope and entwined with it.

_Ash, it is good,_ said Kirlia, exhausted from doing such a manuever.

Ash looked at Sorann "Can you hear me?"

_Yes, i hear you, Ash Ketchum._

"Okay, then, Sorann, can you please explain to me why you hate everyone."

_What is hate? Is hate really just despising another? Or is hate the act of attempting to kill everyone in sight? I do not 'hate' anyone. I act upon what was taught to me before the Great End._

"Was it the same person that gave you your scar?"

_...You are more intelligent than you appear...what is your species?_

"I guess I am a human."

_Very well. You are more intelligent than you appear, human._ _Yes, my father taught me the dark side of life and unmerciful killings, but I couldn't care less about him now. his very teachings were what got him killed._

"...So what do you want to do now?"

_Pardon?_ Sorann was stunned at Ash's words. He was given a choice?

"Unfortunately, I can't turn back time so that you can go back to your former life. I could have the scientists put you under stasis again, if you want. I could also find a pokemon sacntuary to put a designated area for you. Or, you could join my team."

Sorann's eyes narroed upon hearing his words. _Define 'team.'_

"A team is a group of pokemon," replied Ash. "A group that works together to become stronger. They work to conquer any challenges that appear before them. Kirlia here is also a part of my team."

_Curious. And suppose that I don't enjoy any of those options?_

Ash shrugged. "I don't know. This age is when predators are looked down upon due to the excess of berries in the world. The berries were genetically enhanced to taste better while we also make pokemon food that simulates the taste of meat. All this is to prevent the eating of other pokemon."

_Curious. And the act of killing pokemon?_

Ash hesitated. "Although it's also frowned upon, the world acknowledges it as a natural occurence. Over territry disputes, over food, over mates... However, to kill simply to sate one's bloodlust is unacceptable."

_Interesting. And you say that being in a team will make one stronger?_

"Well, it depends. Some people choose to make their pokemon more prettier, but others, like me, strive to make them stronger."

_I see. Very well, I have made my decision. I will join this 'team' for now. But make no mistake, I will not tolerate any orders outside of those that will make me stronger. If you dare give me orders within a fight, I will take that as an insult upon my person and will not hesitate to assault you. I will abide by your rules of no killing for now. But as far as instructions go, I will only accept those for training purposes.  
_

Ash let out a sigh. 'Well, I expected as much.'

Ash held up a pokeball, which Sorann eyed warily. _What is that contraption?_

"Oh, this? It's called a pokeball. It stored pokemon like you so that you won't have to stay outside whenever there is a lack of room or suitable environments. It has a stasis option that enables us to put you under should you be critically injured so that you can be treated in time."

_Curious. Very well, you may use such a thing on me. I find traveling quite a droll, unless it is to hunt._

Ash sighed again. It seemed that no matter how hard he tried, he could not get rid of the predatory tendencies of Sorann.

Ash then looked at Kirlia. "Could you set me up with a connection with the others?"

Kirlia, despite her obvious exhaustion, nodded. _It's quite alright. After all, I'll just need a little rest afterwards and I'll be fine. Although, if you want me to set up a connection with the pokemon at Professor Oak's place, we will have to go there directly._

Ash nodded in agreement. "I understand. You know what, never mind. I'd hate to trouble you any further."

Despite Kirlia's protests that she was fine, Ash was resolute in letting her rest.

"It doesn't matter much, anyways. I was just curious."

The two left the forest and found Brock in front of the pokemon center.

"Hey, Brock."

"Ash."

...

Despite Brock's friendly disposition, Ash felt a knot of unease seeing Brock's stern gaze.

"Is there something wrong, Brock?"

Brock realized that he was making Ash uneasy and waved his arms frantically. "Oh, it's nothing! I just wanted to ask you something."

"Ask away."

"Is it alright of I joined you on your journey?"

Ash was stunned by the question. "But who will look after the gym for you?"

"Double D will look after it for me."

"Double D?"

"Deadbeat Dad." At this, the two of them exchanged some brief laughter.

Ash then looked at Kirlia. "Is this alright with you?"

Kirlia's eyes glowed as she probed Brock's emotions and public thoughts before turning beet red and hiding behind Ash.

_Keep this pervert away from me!_

Brock, figuring out why Kirlia was acting like this, laughed nervously. "Sorry about that, but you needn't worry. I've improved on my tendencies."

Kirlia huffed. _Is this is your refined nature, I'd hate to see you beforehand._

Brock sighed. "Yeah, I suppose this would've happened."

Ash was confused. "Uh, guys?"

However, the two of them didn't pay Ash any attention.

Kirlia's heart warmed at seeing Brock's crestfallen look. _Fine, I suppose you can come along if you can keep your urges down. But I WILL punish your transgressions, understand?_

Brock laughed. "Of course."

Ash was still confused, but he could see that Kirlia had, begrudgingly, accepted Brock's presence.

"Well what are you waiting for, guys? Let's go!"

**I know that this chapter was really slow but I wanted to allow you guys some time to sympathize with Sorann. I based him off of a friend, just without the overdramatized urge to murder. But it's still there. I created this personality in honor of both him and other people who may suffer from abuse.**

**Also, to end on a slightly less depressing note (as my therapists insist), I offer you guys a story idea. Basically, it involves a person who is given the title as the Protagonist. The Protagonist has an infinite power in his hands, and can do as he pleases. However, he/she is powerless against iron. There is a character called the Antagonist. The Antagonist is immune to whatever the Protagonist does, and can summon iron and control it. The Antagonist cannot be directly influenced by the Protagonist, can corrupt whatever the Protagonist creates, and seeks to kill the Protagonist. There is a third character call the Deuteragonist. The Deuteragonist can create illusions similar to the Protagonist, but not have actually mass. The Deuteragonist can also manipulate the Protagonist and the Antagonist directly, while being immune to the Protagonist's influence. The Deuteragonist is tasked with helping the Protagonist survive The Antagonists and is the only one who can kill the Antagonist. A Conflict is resolved when the Antagonist is killed or the Protagonist is killed. If a Deuteragonist is killed, then another person will be given the title.  
**

**Adam is the Protagonists, but he hates his life due to his nihilistic beliefs. He wants to kill himself but due to the Laws of the Conflict, he can only be killed by the Antagonist. When he meets the Antagonist, he is shocked to find a woman who is puzzled as to why she must hate him and says that all she cares about is making a living through selling her infinite supply of iron but also finds life boring and tries to commit suicide. To get rid of their titles, the Antagonist agrees to kill the Protagonist but finds herself unable to. When the two meet the Deuteragonist, they find a girl who is obsessed with yaoi and continuously tries to force the Antagonist to turn into a boy to make a confusing love drama. The Deuteragonist reveals that she doesn't want to give up her powers so she makes it that the two cannot kill each other. The Protagonist and the Antagonist realize that without the power of the Deuteragonist, they are stuck in eternal limbo until a resolution can be solved. Basically this goes on as the two try to circumvent the Laws of the Conflict before they unintentionally unleash a beast called the Tritagonist, who lone objective is to remove the three beings from existence. The Tritagonist cannot be manipulated at all by the three and cannot be killed by the three. It can only be killed by something not related to the trhee at all, which is troublesome since the Protagonist unintentionally destroyed the original world that had nothing to do with him and that every other world was made at his whim.  
**

**Hope to see your ideas.**


	8. Chapter 8

The trio had left Pewter City and were now preparing to visit Mt. Moon.

"Hey, Ash."

"Yeah?"

"What is your dream?"

"My dream ... is to become a Pokemon Master!"

"Haha, I see," Brock chuckled, seeing Ash's enthusiasm.

"By the way, Ash, we're approaching Mt. Moon. What pokemon do you wish to catch?"

"Hmm ... I don't know, to be honest. While it would be amazing to catch a Clefairy or Sandslash, the odds of even finding them are really slim. I've even heard rumors that an Absol and a Hariyama were once spotted but that's really doubtful. I guess I'd be fine with anything."

"Heh, just so you know, Ash, there is a lot more that you can catch besides Zubats and Geodudes. You can find Nidorans of both genders as well as the occasional Rhyhorn in the nearby area. I've found some some Mankeys in the surrounding trees as well. I know a family friend that once stumbled into a colony of dormant Bronzors once. Terrified the crap out of him."

Ash looked at Brock with wide eyes. "Are you serious?! That's practically a treasure trove of variety right there!"

"Heh. Calm yourself, Ash. A future Pokemon Master shouldn't get this so excited about a few species in an area."

"Oh, shut up," scowled Ash, although the enthusiasm was still in his eyes. "Come on, Kirlia. Let's go!"

As Kirlia ran with her trainer, Brock shook his head.

"If he's this excited about a dead place like Mt. Moon, I worry about what he's like after the Safari Zone."

* * *

"Hmm, if I was a rare pokemon, where would I be?" mused Ash. He then realized what he was saying. "Ugh, I'm suddenly reminded of Team Rocket."

Ash and Kirlia strolled around the nearby forest to see if they could find some new additions to their team.

They were not disappointed.

A Rhyhorn lumbered through the area, grazing the grass while also taking advantage of the berries in the bushes. It was evidently very content with it's lifestyle as of now.

Ash decided to walk up to the Rhyhorn to present his challenge. After all, there was nothing to gain from provoking a pokemon known for demolishing buildings with no pain.

Ash walked up to the Rhyhorn's field of sight before sitting down. "Hello there!"

The Rhyhorn looked at Ash before giving a grunt of acknowledgment. Ash sighed in relief. Now, he didn't have to deal with a stampeding Rhyhorn,

As Ash rubbed the Rhyhorn's horn, the pokemon gave a growl of contentment before nuzzling into his hand.

"I'm looking for a pokemon to add to my team. Would you care to join me?"

The Rhyhorn looked at Ash before contemplating the decision for a second. However, to Ash's relief, it bellowed in agreement before readying itself into a lunging position.

"Alright, Kirlia, you're up."

The Rhyhorn looked at it's opponent before roaring and slamming its front legs on the floor, releasing a modest Magnitude of grade 7.

Kirlia, however, and Teleported her way out of the area, reappearing behind the Rhyhorn.

"Now, use Double Team!"

Kirlia's form blurred for a second before five more copies of her appeared. Although the blurriness at the edges indicated her lack of experience with the move, it was still enough to cause the Rhyhorn to hesitate.

However, before Ash and Kirlia could utilize their next move, the Rhyhorn muttered its name, giving it a darker aura. When the Curse was done, it roared before utilizing Bulldoze in such a manner that it caused itself to fly into the air, creating a massive crater and an explosive force that pushed the copies away and temporarily stalled Kirlia.

The Rhyhorn did not stop there, however. While in the air, it twisted itself so that its legs were facing the floor before smashing down on the ground, unleashing a massive Earthquake that was felt around the entire area and propelled Kirlia with enough force to send her flying into a tree.

Meanwhile inside Mt. Moon, a group of unspecified people were lurking around before they lost their balance due to the insane Earthquake.

"What was that?"

Back with Ash's battle, Kirlia staggered up before using a Heal Pulse on herself, temporarily erasing her fatigue.

"Alright Kirlia, use Growl before using Magical Leaf!"

Kirlia growled as fiercely as she could, weakening the Rhyhorn's resolve slightly, which was enough for her to unleash a swarm of leaves towards the Rhyhorn.

The Rhyhorn roared in pain before rushing towards Kirlia with Horn Attack.

"Psychic!"

Kirlia surrounded the unsuspecting Rhyhorn in a field of psychic energy before smashing it against a tree. However, it seemed to have done little to faze it.

The Ryhorn growled in annoyance before surrounding itself in a dark aura, dispelling the psychic field before charging towards Kirlia.

Recognizing the aura as that of Payback, Ash thought of a way to counter this. "Send it flying with Moonblast!"

Kirlia obeyed the command as sent one of her Moonblasts at the Rhyhorn. The two collided and stalled for a bit. The Fairy energy thinned out the power of Payback until it was nonexistent while also dealing some moderate damage to the Rhyhorn.

The Rhyhorn' spirit was not diminished, however. It roared before charging again. When Kirlia attempted to grasp it with Psychic, it twisted itself in midair while the grasp was still weak, shrugging it off before ramming into Kirlia with renewed momentum.

Ash stared worriedly at Kirlia, who slowly pushed herself up and glared at the Rhyhorn again.

"Moonblast!"

Kirlia took a deep breath before creating Moonblast bigger than her previous ones. Slugging it across the battlefield, she slumped down, seemingly drained of energy.

As the Moonblast crashed into the Rhyhorn, Ash held his breath to see the outcome.

The outcome met him in the form of a charging Rhyhorn.

Although it was still standing proud, it was evident by the limp in its front legs that the damage was sufficient enough to rob it of most of its momentum.

As the Rhyhorn prepared its horn attack, Ash smiled when feeling Kirlia's feelings through their link.

"Checkmate."

It's funny how some things in life turn out. Sometimes, outcomes that seem inevitable are abruptly stopped by something that seemed ridiculous.

In other words, the Rhyhorn's momentum was dispelled as Kirlia laid her hand on its horn.

Psychic's power is not absolute. It works in a quadratic-like effect: the farther the distance or stronger the force, the more power is lost or more energy is wasted in supporting it.

Using Psychic on a touched object may seem almost redundant, however, it maximizes efficiency in terms of using Psychic, thereby allowing psychic types, in theory, the capability to carry heavier loads than, say, a fighting type. Of course, experience also plays a factor.

However, with injuries crippling its movements as well as well as the direct contact of Kirlia's touch, the Rhyhorn was essentially helpless against her Psychic, no matter how exhausted she was.

The Rhyhorn struggled for a bit as it attempted to free itself from its psychic prison, but eventually gave up after realizing it was merely wasting its energy.

Kirlia slowly dispelled her control over the Rhyhorn before nodding to Ash and leaned on his side.

Ash looked at the Rhyhorn with a questioning look before smiling at its nod of acceptance.

Ash held a pokeball out to the Rhyhorn, who touched it with its horn.

Ash smiled slightly as it saw the pokeball disappear.

"Welcome to the team."

* * *

After explaining to Brock what had happened, the duo entered Mt. Moon after giving Kirlia some time to rest from her battle.

Although Kirlia unfortunately did not have flash, Brock had, curiously, a Lunatone. With the light enabling them to see within the dark cavern, the group continued going though the mountain.

"Lunatone, lower the light," muttered Brock, as Lunatone complied to the command and dimmed the brightness. Upon seeing Ash and Kirlia's look of confusion, Brock gestured to the ceiling.

"This place is home to lots of pokemon. The last thing we need is to disturb any of them because our light was too bright."

On the ceilings, resting among the stalactites were Zubats and Golbats, resting to prepare for their nightly feeding. On the cavern walls, outlines of geometric shapes hinted at the presence of Bronzors. On the ground, hidden near the stalagmites were holes, freshly dug by the residents of the mountain.

"Woah," whispered Ash. "I know that there was a lot of variety in this place, but you really don't appreciate it until you see for yourself."

"There are a lot of things in the world like that, Ash. Cerulean Cave with its crystalline waters, Tohjo Falls and its serene nature, and many more places. All it takes is simply going outside and looking for it."

"Agreed."

The group continued on their way before Shift came out of the pokeball, shocking Ash as it curled up in its arms.

_There is a disturbance in the mountain, friend-trainer Ash. Some people with ill intentions are attempting to wreak havoc in this area.  
_

Ash relayed the info to Brock, and the group quickly and quietly went into the cavern.

Upon reaching an opening, they gasped at what they saw. Dozens of pokemon were in cages, and a group of Team Rocket grunts were in the area, with a scientist in the middle of the group.

"How long before you can locate the Moonstone, Professor Seymour?"

"It shouldn't take long. After all, we've already scanned through 60% of the entire area in the past ten minutes, that earthquake notwithstanding. Give me another 8 minutes or so and we'll have found it."

"Understood. By the way-"

"Shh!" Seymour suddenly hushed the grunt, before narrowing his eyes.

"I sense some ambient light nearby ... it appears that our position has been compromised. I need you lot to stall until we've found the Moonstone. Afterwards, dispatch whatever actions necessary to prevent them from our removal of the stone."

The grunt relayed the orders to the others before they fanned out.

"Who's there?" barked out Seymour. "You can't fool me! I can see the light of your Flash, no matter how dim it is! After all, my eyes, which I personally operated on, are capable of seeing light, no matter how dark it is!"

Ash gestured to Brock, who nodded in agreement. _Turn it up._

Lunatone shone harshly as it raised its Flash to the max, causing Seymour to howl in agony.

After all, what works with darkness doesn't work with light.

Although this got the attention of the other grunts, they could do little since they too were affected by the Flash.

Taking advantage of the situation, Ash and Brock brought out their pokemon, aside from Rayquaza. After all, bringing out the Sky Emperor would almost certainly destroy the mountain.

"Ash! I'll hold them off! You get the others free!"

Nodding in agreement, Ash relayed the plan to the others. Son (**Should probably think of a better name in the future**) and Kirlia set about freeing the pokemon, while Pidgeotto and Sorann terrorized the grunts. Sorann in particular took extreme pleasure at attacking the grunts' pokemon with whatever he had, though he decided against eating any of them.

_Besides_, he thought. _With the amount of toxins in their body, which is probably far more than I can sense__, they'd probably wreck my internal internal organs._

Brock brought out his Geodude, Onix, Kabutops, Lunatone, Rhydon, and Marowak.

Upon seeing Ash's gobsmacked look, Brock winked. "You really think I'd send most of my real time at you? Come on, Ash, I'm having a battle with you, not a massacre."

Seymour frantically typed in numerous codes, deleting information not related to the project, in hopes of speeding up the process. As he heard the triumphant beep of success, he pointed at the nearest group of grunts: Jessie, James, and Meowth.

"You three! Take this locator, it will lead you directly to the Moonstone lode! When you get there, place a transmitter and get the hell out of there! We'll come back for it another day, but if you think you can manage it, try and bring it out! Better late than never, but now is still better!"

"Understood!" The trio replied. After their humiliating defeat at the hands of a beginner, who happened to be here now, they earnestly trained to regain their boss's favor. Their efforts did not go unnoticed, as the boss noticed their newfound enthusiasm and gave them another chance, while also reminding them to not take any unnecessary risks.

_"I'm grateful for your enthusiasm but remember, the mission comes first. Ditch anyone you have to, so long as the end result is there. If you cannot complete it due to any unknown factors, I am okay with it so long as you can report back and some part can still be salvaged."_

"We cannot let the boss's trust in us be diminished!" declared James as he rushed down the passages, ordering Koffing to use Smog at the mouth of several entrances to confuse any followers.

"Meowth, you go ahead and place the transmitter! Grab any Moonstone shards you can find and then prepare the escape device!"

"Roger!" With that, Meowth used one of his few new moves taught by the boss's Persian, Aerial Ace.

While he dashed, Meowth shuddered at the memories of those few days of absolute torture. Though he swallowed his pride and let the Persian teach him, it was still excruciatingly painful, but in his opinion, the rewards were better. In the process, he also got the Persian's respect, albeit grudgingly.

When he finally reached the Moonstone, he was immediately greeted by packs of angry Clefairies , furious at their home being disturbed.

Meowth eyed them warily. "I don't got no quarrel with any of you folks, but I got a mission to complete. Now scram!"

Using Aerial Ace, he surprised the Clefaries by dashing past them and slapping the transmitter on top. Keeping his momentum, he dashed around the room and collected any spare Moonstone fragments laying around.

As much as he wanted to nab the pokemon for the boss, he knew that it was a futile effort. Stronger pokemon such as Nidoqueens were arising from their slumber at the noise, and he was certain that he would not come out alive after facing a rampaging pokemon at this stage.

Racing out, Meowth raced out the end of the cavern before setting up their getaway device.

Panting the the sheer amount of effort he used in the past minute, he pulled out his communicator and connected with the other two.

"I'm done on my end, let's go!"

After the last of the grunts were defeated, the group followed the trio that had left, only to find their way shrouded in a heavy Smog.

"Ash, have Pidgeotto use her wings to blow out the Smog!"

"Alright Pidgeotto, let's go!"

Pidgeotto shrieked before flapping her wings hard and fast. Slowly, the Smog disappeared, revealing the two Team Rocket members.

"You two!" glared Ash.

"Hmpth!" scoffed Jessie. "Do what you want, twerp. We've already accomplished our goal." With that, Smog filled the room again and the two disappeared.

"Ash, it's not safe to stay in this Smog. And besides, I doubt that two grunts could move the entire Moonstone. Let's head back and call Officer Jenny to secure the area."

"Got it. Come on, guys."

* * *

Meanwhile, the trio cheered over their success.

"I can't believe it!" cried out James. "We finished our mission successfully!"

As they re-entered the base, they reported back to the boss.

"Sir, the mission succeeded. Professor Seymour and the others were captured, however, they bought us enough time to plant the transmitter and secure several Moonstone fragments." With that, Meowth unloaded what he had taken, causing the boss's guards to widen their eyes slightly.

"Excellent. I am pleased that my trust in you was not unfounded. You have earned yourselves a raise, as well as a three day leave in the Sevii Islands for your exemplary work in retrieving so many fragments, all expenses paid. Matori will guide you to your plane. Enjoy yourselves."

"Yes sir!"

**In my opinion, with how enthusiastic the trio are with their jobs, they should have trained harder after their initial defeat at Ash's hands. Although Giovanni seems a little OOC in this chapter, this is because I have a greater role for him in the future.**

**Now ... the hard part. I've been down on inspiration in this story lately and I have a question for you guys:**

**Would you rather have me continue the journey as it is, or do you want me to skip straight to the Indigo League, while occasionally showing flashbacks of previous adventures? It's your choice, and you have until the next chapter to answer. If there is no winner, I will simply skip into the Indigo League.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Next chapter is finally up.**

**Also, I might jump ahead after this chapter, or maybe the next. The overall consensus was to not jump ahead on the previous chapter, which I will respect for the time being, but I really lack motivation due to schoolwork draining out my creativity.**

After the Mt. Moon fiasco, the group continued heading on their way to Cerulean City.

Ash had conffided in Brock about Rayquaza, which stunned him, before remembering how Ash had Shift and a Riolu, as well as a Kirlia. He decided not to question him, knowing that the answer probably would have made even less sense.

Ash had switched his team around so that his team now consisted of Shift, Rayquaza, Son (who decided to take on the name Dagda), Kirlia, Buzzkill, and Pidgeotto (who preferred to be called Anima), Sorann, and Rhyhorn. Ash had found a loophole, seeing that since Kirlia and Shift did not stay in their pokeballs willingly, he could simply send them back to the ranch without actually returning them, a loophole that was already acknowledged by the Pokemon League but advised against due to the inability to return injured pokemon. Seeing that Zoroark wouldn't listen to him now, he decided to just let her rest at the ranch for the time being.

"Alright, Buzzkill, use Electroweb!"

When the group paused to take a rest for the day, Ash did not want to fall back on training.

He had Rhyhorn fighting with Dagda, while he pitted Buzzkill against Anima. While many people wold consider pitting a Caterpie against a Pidgeotto suicide, Buzzkill had shown that he could last far longer than his brethren in a fight. As for Kirlia, she was resting after setting Ash up with a psychic link with his pokemon. Sorann was roosting in a nearby tree, not wishing to associate anymore than he had to.

The Electroweb he shot was far quicker and larger than its previous incarnations, though Anima was still evidently faster as she nimbly dodged. Taking Buzzkill's relative squishiness into consideration, she dove at him with a Peck instead of an Aerial Ace.

Ash was about to call out an order but stopped himself when he saw Buzzkill staring back at the Pidgeotto. Suddenly, before the attack struck, a bright flash of white light emitted from him.

Ash stared at him, mouth agape. Although he knew that Caterpies tended to evolve rather early in their lives to survive, seeing it was a completely different matter.

After the harsh light dimmed, what stood before the bird pokemon was not a Caterpie but a Metapod. It stared defiantly at Anima before gleaming gree as it stiffened its muscles in performing Harden.

The attack struck heavily, especially with a STAB bonus and a type advantage. Nevertheless, the Harden paid off and substantially reduced the damage that Buzzkill took.

With Anima's proximity, Buzzkill then shot quick bursts of Electrowebs, that had slightly less power and far less range than the one shot before, but Anima was close enough that they all struck their target.

Shrieking in surprise, Anima tried to soar away, but the Electrowebs had taken their toll on her and she moved much slower than she initially did. Nevertheless, she managed to get out of Buzzkill's range by using Aerial Ace, dashing away and slowly shaking off the entangling webs that made her wince with every spark.

Giving a loud shriek, she used Gust, attempting to avoid getting to close to Buzzkill.

At this point, Ash had to call off the match. Although neither pokemon had been knocked out yet, Ash knew that Buzzkill could not win. He simply didn't have the ranged capacities to fight with Anima.

"Alright, guys," he said. "Time for a rest. Congrats on evolving, Buzzkill."

_'It was nothing,'_ the Metapod replied modestly.

Although many people would have been unnerved to hear their pokemon talk back, Ash was accustomed to how Kirlia could link their minds together.

Anima roosted on the trees above, while Buzzkill got accustomed to his new form. After numerous failed attempts at moving, he got an idea and shot a String Shot at a tree, enabling him to swing there and thus removing his movement disability.

"So, Ash," started Brock. "What do you plan on using against the next gym leader? From what I remember, they use water types."

Ash thought for a moment. "Honestly, that's a fairly good question. Vulcan and Feedback are too young and inexperienced to battle, Buzzkill still needs to get over his new form, Shift has essentially no battle experience that I know of, Rayquaza would be sheer overkill, Rhyhorn has a massive disadvantage despite her unorthodox style. Dagda still doesn't know any ranged attacks, so he'll be at a pretty large disadvantage if there is an aquatic section. I guess that I'll be using Anima and Kirlia. If all else fails, I can hope that Zoroark will fight after being riled up enough."

Brock nodded in agreement. "That's a fair assessment, but what if the referee disqualifies Zoroark for not listening to you? I think it's better to keep Rayquaza on your roster just to be safe."

Ash frowned. "Yeah, but ... I don't exactly like the idea of showing off a legendary so early. Its bound to attract a lot of attention."

"That is true, but remember. You can always request a black-out order."

The black-out order. Something that trainers requested when not wishing to reveal their secret pokemon. Often, it would mean legal investigation through the eyes of Charles Goodshow himself, as well as a fair fine in order to proceed, but it did ensure that a pokemon would not be revealed until the trainer's desired time.

"I guess, yeah, but ... I doubt that I'll be able to cover the fine. How much was it again?"

"Don't worry," Brock assured. "You know how when you beat me, I scanned your pokedex?"

"I guess? I don't really remember."

Brock sighed, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Well, regardless, what I did was give you your earnings. You see, each time you win a battle or a match, it rewards you with a certain amount of money. Conversely, should you lose a battle, you are expected to reimburse the winner with a some money."

Ash frowned. "Hmmm ... I won against Gary yet I didn't gain anything ..."

"It's to be expected. It's not required to give money to the victor outside of official tournaments and battles, where the league pays for you, but it is recommended so that trainers will be encouraged to train more as well as support each other."

"Yeah, but ... isn't this system flawed? I mean, what if there was this one guy who just grinded solely so that he could mooch off of others' hard-earned money?"

"That's exactly what popped up when the league declared this and so they emphasized that it was optional. Don't get too stressed about it. You're not obligated to offer any money, and you'll receive more than enough money from participation in league events. Either way, the amount you earned is more than enough to cover for the order as well as having a sizeable amount left over."

Ash shook his head, too confused to even reply.

"Alright, so I guess that leaves me with Kirlia, Anima, and Rayquaza. Seems pretty overkill, if you ask me."

"Maybe if you were simply aiming for badges," Brock countered, "but you're also heading for the challenge. You'll be facing against their actual teams."

"I guess," Ash replied nonchalantly.

As the group packed up and headed for Cerulean City, a familiar redhead stood in front of the city.

"You!"

Ash looked at the girl. "Oh hey, Misty, right?"

"Yeah, and you're the brat that still owes me a bike! If you can't pay, I'll never leave you alone until you do so!"

Ash blinked before looking at Brock. "If I paid for the order, would I still have enough money for the bike?"

Brock scratched his head before doing some mental calculations. "Well ... I have a bike voucher that I've never used due to lack of time, so I guess I can offer it to you to reduce the cost dramatically ... minus the food expenses ... don't forget that Pokemon Centers offer free housing and food for overnight operations as well as one-night vagrants ... yeah, I guess you could pay for it. Here." He reached into his pack, and pulled out a bike voucher.

Misty was getting annoyed at being ignored. "Hey, I'm talking to you!"

Ignoring her, Ash looked at Brock with an eyebrow raised. "Are you sure that I can use this? I mean, you've already helped me out with the food and all, not to mention that the value on this thing is huge."

"Hey, if you never entered my life, I would never had had so many new experiences. I would have been left fighting off beginners in my gym while my dad probably would never have come back home. Think of this as a form of repayment."

Ash took the voucher before nodding in gratefulness and sprinting towards the bike shop.

Misty thought that he was ditching her and tried to run after him, but stopped to clutch her ribs in exhaustion. It was evident that she disliked to exert herself.

* * *

"Hello, welcome to my shop! How can I help you?"

"Hi, I wish to buy a bike."

"Hmmm ... are you sure that you can pay for it?"

"Well, a friend gave me a voucher. Here." Ash handed over the voucher to the shopowner.

The man scanned the voucher, which dinged to prove its validity.

"That will be 250 pokedollars, sir."

Ash handed over his pokedex to the man, who raised an eyebrow at its design but said nothing. After scanning it, it dinged to prove that the purchase was successful.

"Thank you for your business," the man stated as he brought out a bike for Ash. "I hope to see you again!"

Ash retrieved his pokedex before taking the bike. "Goodbye!" he said as he rushed out.

He soon met up with Misty and Brock. "Here you go, Misty."

Misty stared at him gobsmacked. She was not anticipating Ash actually purchasing a bike. Instead, she hoped to play the guilt card to follow him around.

She swallowed a lump in her throat. "Yeah." She took the bike hesitatingly, not believing that she had unwittingly outplayed herself.

"Well see ya," said Ash as he, Kirlia, Shift (who was hiding within Brock's pack to avoid detection) and Brock went towards the gym.

Misty stared blankly at her new bike.

"Son of a bitch," she muttered. "Of all things for him to get right, it had to be this?"

* * *

Ash and Brock entered the gym to find a very strange sight.

Instead of battles, they were seeing a performance.

Brock was eager to get close to the female performers before remembering what he said to Kirlia about restraining himself and closed his eyes.

"Think of Growlithes, Brock," he muttered. "You're a lot of things, but you're sure as hell not a furry."

Soon, the performance was over and the three female performers noticed the group.

"Fans? Oh sorry, we're not taking autographs right now," said the blue haired girl.

Ash looked at them with a puzzled look. "Actually, I'm here for a gym battle."

"Regular or league challenge?"

"League challenge." To emphasize this, he showed the trio his unique Boulder Badge.

The pink haired girl whistled. "Wow, like, that's pretty impressive. I mean, if you were, like, battling for the regular badge, we'd just give it to you straight away. But if you wanted the challenge one, like, you'll have to face part of our true team. You think that you're ready?"

Ash smirked as Kirlia stepped next to him. "Honestly? I do think so."

**Pretty bad ending.**

**Anyways, as I said, I'll probably be skipping ahead after this chapter. Or maybe the next. I dunno.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Again, bear in mind that my inspiration for this story has come to a all-time low, so I may just end it abruptly one day.**

Ash and Lily walked to opposite sides of the battlefield.

"So," asked Ash. "How will this work?"

"Okay, so, like, our battles initially work by you having to beat all of us in 1v1s, unless we've had, like, too many battles at a time, in which we'd just, like, give out badges, but our challenge? You'll have to, like, go in a 2v2 against me."

Ash nodded. It seemed that out of all the sisters, Lily was the one with the most experience.

"I'll start. Staryu, take the field!"

"Let's go, Anima!"

The Staryu and the Pidgeotto took to opposite sides of the field, assessing each other's strengths.

"Alright, Staryu, into the water!"

"Start things off with Agility!"

Staryu prepared to hide underwater whereas Anima increased her speed. Afterwards, Anima lowered herself carefully near the water's surface in order to keep an eye on Staryu.

"Now, Staryu, use Brine!"

Out of nowhere, Staryu popped up in front of Anima and released the salty attack on Anima, surprising her.

"Follow up with Thunderbolt!"

Before Anima could recover, she squawked in pain as currents of electricity began coursing through her. It was heightened as she was still soaked with the Brine, which ensured that more of the charge remained on her.

"Anima! Fight through it and use Gust!"

"Counter with Rapid Spin."

Anima began creating large gusts of wind, but Staryu was blowing fast enough to counteract this attack. The two were at a stalemate before Ash ordered his next move.

"Now, Twister!"

Anima's wings suddenly became a blur and a tornado launched itself at Staryu, who was stunned by the attacked and unable to react.

"Now send it flying with Whirlwind!"

Anima increased the speed at which her wings were moving at and the sheer force of the winds blew Staryu back into its pokeball.

However, Ash was unprepared when he saw the pokemon that came out. It was not any pokemon from Kanto, or even Johto, but Alola of all places.

Lily gave an apologetic smile. "I see you've lucked out. I got her, like, a few weeks ago while visiting Alola, but I don't think that a challenger like you can take on her and my Staryu. Tell you what, if you can, like, beat her, I'll grant you the badge regardless, since, like, she might overwhelm you."

Ash nodded mutely as he stared in awe of the Toxapex before him.

"Now, Toxapex, use Stockpile!"

"Sand Attack!"

As Toxapex gulped down some air, making her body bigger, Anima attempted to blind it with sand, but Toxapex quickly closed herself off before it could reach her.

"Use Wing Attack!"

Anima screeched before diving down to inflict some damage, while Lily smirked. Just before Anima reached Toxapex, Lily bared out an order.

"Baneful Bunker!"

Toxapex shut herself off and glowed purple, while Anima cried out in pain as she felt herself being poisoned after being struck by Toxapex's spikes.

Ash stared in horror as he saw Anima try to fly out, but then Toxapex lashed out with Poison Jab, causing her to screech in agony.

"Baneful Bunker protects the Toxapex while poisoning the opponent," explained Lily. "My Toxapex also has the Merciless ability, which makes all of her attacks become critical hits if the opponent is poisoned.

"Now, Scald."

Toxapex let loose a burning torrent of water that made Anima cry out once more. By now, Anima was weary and on her last legs.

"Use Roost!" cried Ash desperately.

Anima perched herself and healed up her damage, refreshing herself in the process, but leaving her unable to fly for a while.

"Don't, like, let her recover! Use Surf!"

"Dodge with Aerial Ace!"

Toxapex prepared to unleash a wave of water, but just as it was about to reach Anima, she disappeared and reappeared behind her, before unleashing a Twister that sent Toxapex flying.

"Keep it up! Use Twister again!"

"Don't let it! Use Stockpile again, and, like, send it flying with Spit Up!"

Toxapex stored energy once more and just as the Twister was about to reach it, it released a massive beam of energy that cleaved through the Twister and put Anima out of commission.

"Sorry, Ash," said Lily. "But you'll need to do better than that if you want to, like, get that badge."

Ash nodded, before gesturing towards Kirlia. She teleported onto the battlefield and the battle resumed.

"Toxapex, use Stockpile!"

"Kirlia, Psychic!"

Toxapex began to store energy once more, but Kirlia raised her up before pummeling her onto the platform. Due to the Stockpile, Toxapex took slightly less damage, though she was now much more wary of Kirlia.

"Kirlia, use Confusion!"

"Toxapex, use Stockpile, like, once more!"

Kirlia sent a psychic blast at Toxapex, who again stored energy. Thus, she took less damage once again.

"Now, Toxapex, Spit Up!"

Toxapex unleashed a beam of energy as large as the one before and scored a hit on Kirlia, who had attempted to Teleport out of the way but did not move fast enough.

"Kirlia! Use Misty Terrain!"

Kirlia rose shakily once more, before using Misty Terrain, thereby preventing her from getting poisoned.

"Smart move, Ash. Now, Toxapex, use, like, Scald!"

"Double Team!"

Kirlia created several images of herself, and the Scald ended up hitting one of the copies.

"Psychic once more! This time, do it like we did with the Rhyhorn!"

"One more Stockpile, then, like, use Spit Up!"

Toxapex took another big gulp before unleashing the attack on Kirlia and the copies, who were closing the distance between them. The attack destroyed the copies, but only grazed Kirlia as she Teleported away before any serious injury occurred. She reappeared in front of Toxapex, who attempted to close off access to its head with its tentacles. However, Toxapex was unable to do so quickly enough, which resulted in Kirlia touching her main body and then using Psychic. The result was that Toxapex was trapped in a near impenetrable psychic prison.

"Alright, that's, like, enough," said Lily, returning Toxapex. "I've been in enough battles to know how that works. Toxapex doesn't have, like, enough training to overcome that. This is your victory."

Ash gave out a sigh of relief and caught Kirlia in a hug as she came back to him. Once again, she had helped him win a battle.

"However," continued Lily. "Before I give you your badge, is it okay if I, like, gave you an analysis of the battle?" She received a nod from Ash in response.

"In all honesty, that was a terrible match," she began bluntly, surprising Ash. "Most of what you did was a gamble. Even after you learned, like, my set strategy, you were unable to, like, counter that. In fact, had you not taken the gamble and used Whirlwind, you might have, like, beaten me with only your Kirlia. My second choice would have been Starmie, or, like, even Goldeen. Even when your Kirlia was on the battlefield, she might have, like, soloed the battle. Why didn't you tell her to use the Psychic touch, like, as soon as the battle began? I even gave you a head start, when I didn't start off offensively.

"Not to say that your techniques are, like, trash or something. Your Pidgeotto still put up a pretty good fight, although I recommend teaching her Steel Wing. Don't rely on Whirlwind too much. I've seen, like, dozens of challengers who could have won a battle easily but screwed up as soon as they, like, used the move. Your Kirlia, though, you did much better with her. She's your starter? Either way, she does have a lot of, like potential. I've rarely seen a pokemon recover that quickly at such an early start.

"Now, for what you could have, like, done. Toxapex has mobile tentacles, but the downside is that they have limited mobility. They can, like, move, but they don't have a lot of strength. If you knocked it over onto her back, she would have been, like, defenseless. Your Pidgeotto could have accomplished this. If she had gained enough momentum, she could have, like, swept up from underneath and knocked Toxapex over. Even your Kirlia, without, like, risking getting close, could have used Psychic and left Toxapex on her back."

Ash nodded mutely. Although Lily's words stung, he had to admit that they were true.

"I'm not, like, saying that you did bad," Lily explained. "I'm just saying, it could have gone better. But hey, here's your badge."

"Thanks," said Ash, taking the badge in his hand. Like in first gym, it had the gem in the center.

With Kirlia by his side, he made his way to the front of the gym, where Brock was waiting.

"Come on," said Brock. "Let's get your pokemon healed up.

* * *

"What do you think your greatest mistake was?" Brock asked.

Ash shrugged his shoulder. Honestly, he felt as though he had done everything properly.

Brock sighed. "You don't train your pokemon enough." At this, As looked at him in surprise.

"Look at the difference between Lily's pokemon and yours. Sure, she had hers much longer than yours, but that's not the point. Have you noticed how the strength of your Kirlia exceeds some of your other pokemon dramatically? Have you ever wondered why?"

Ash glanced at Kirlia, who had an innocent expression on her face.

_'Ash? Am I in trouble?'_

Ash shook his head and thought for a bit.

He had only attempted to train Vulcan and Feedback, and even then it was because they were still children. Zoroark and Dagda had a former trainer, as did Kirlia. Sorann was trained to hunt, and who knew how much years of experience did Rayquaza have. He couldn't even tell if Shift had ever trained at all.

He thought back to how Buzzkill had forced himself to train so that it would prove the opinions of others wrong, and then he thought of his own aspirations.

Ash had wanted to be a Pokemon Master ever since a little kid, but it wasn't until now that he questioned what it truly meant. Did it mean catching all the pokemon there were to be found? Did it mean becoming Champion of all the regions? What about how those pokemon viewed him?

Was becoming a Pokemon Master simply a placebo for his life goals?

Kirlia, sensing Ash's emotions, sent a small flow of warm feelings to him, causing him to smile.

"Thanks, Kirlia."

He looked at Brock, who had been holding an impassive face the whole time.

"I guess you're right ... which means that I'll just have to step up my game!"

Even though he may not have an answer right now, he had a feeling that he would find out later in his journey.

**Ah, yes. The pain of a completely overdue chapter. Especially one that's a little bit shorter than usual.**

**Work is piling up. I can only type about a hundred words every other day.**

**I actually almost quit this story, mainly because of how I wrote it.**

**When I first started the original iteration of ADJOAK, I didn't know how to write, so I mainly appealed to whatever could have garnered views, which would have (hopefully) led to constructive criticism. Unfortunately, this led to several overly patriarchal views that conflict with my personal standing.**

**I hate to bring reality to a story where we're trying to escape it, but I really hate myself over the sexist origins of this story. As you can see, I've tried toning it down and hopefully giving females a more meaningful standing, but the guilt is still there.**

**Maybe I'll update this story again. Maybe not. Hell, maybe I won't even touch this site again, except maybe talk to some friends. I dunno.**

**If I ever do update this story again, prepare for a more unisex story, where females actually have a realistic role instead of a damsel-in-distress of a romantic option. Ugh, just mentioning this makes me want to punch myself.**

**Cheers.**


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